You Won a CSB Grant - What's Next?
Winning an EPA Clean School Bus Program (CSB) grant is an incredible opportunity to improve air quality, reduce school bus emissions and protect student health. But winning a grant is just the first step. Getting from the award notification to operating an electric school fleet requires detailed assessments, thorough planning and expert guidance across a range of subjects.
With so many decisions to make and a wide scope of stakeholders to consider, the process can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, IC Bus® can help.
"We work closely with you and your staff to make sure you get the right bus for the right route."
Alec Borror / Sales Director EV Bus / IC Bus
Trusted Advisors Helping You Every Step of the Way
CONSULTING
Finding the best way forward
Our discovery workshops dive into your fleet's electrification needs and concerns, building a customized EV roadmap for success.
CHARGING
Laying the groundwork
We assess the placement of hardware and infrastructure, finding the best ways to support your vehicle charging and uptime.
CUSTOMER ONBOARDING
Bringing it all together
We ensure your charging locations, staff, and remote diagnostics are prepared for your electric fleet to hit the road.
Expert Partners to Eliminate Roadblocks
To ensure that you have the best electrification experience, IC Bus has partnerships with experts across every part of the process. Since the EPA has cited power availability as a frequent roadblock for charging projects, IC Bus works with our partners and local utilities to future-proof your electric bus charging infrastructure. As the saying goes, you only want to dig up concrete once, so we help you design your infrastructure with future needs in mind.
IC Bus and our infrastructure partners conduct site reviews and evaluate your power requirements vs. the capacity currently available at your location. Leveraging our partner’s knowledge, we can help get your project more attention from local utilities than it might receive on its own. By identifying other businesses and organizations electrifying in your area, we can work with your local utility to “cluster” together infrastructure upgrades that serve multiple customers.
Extensive Dealer Network for Service & Support
As a fast-evolving technology, it’s important for your school district to choose an OEM that can support you long after your electric fleet hits the road. The IC Bus dealer network is the strongest service provider in the electric school bus space, with trained EV technicians at your local dealer ready to help you get the most from your investment.
Range Options to Meet Your Needs
The electric version of our flagship CE school bus offers three battery sizes, including an option with a best-in-class range of 200 miles. These choices enable you to strike a balance between the rider capacity you need and the driving range (from 135 miles to 200 miles) you want.
According to Borror, with all the different opinions on electric, one thing has remained consistent for bus drivers: “When they drive our Electric CE Series, they think it’s cool. It’s got a lot of power, it’s quiet, it’s different. The drivers really love them.”
Looking ahead, IC Bus is taking orders now for the Next Generation Electric CE (eCE) Series, with production beginning in 2025. The eCE is designed with our DriverFirst™ philosophy, creating a virtual command center with everything within arm’s reach of the driver. The upcoming model also includes safety features such as Bendix® Intellipark® electronic parking brake on air brake units, electronic stability control and optional Bendix Wingman® Safety Packages to reduce the severity and likelihood of rear-end impacts.
Get Financing & Grant-Writing Support
Depending on the grant program, there may be times that your district needs temporary financing while you await funding to come through to cover electric school bus cost. IC Bus can connect you with Navistar Financial to apply for a bridge loan.
If you didn’t participate in the 2023 Clean School Bus grant program but plan to seek funding for a new grant to cover electric school bus cost, IC Bus can help with that, too. IC Bus has funding specialists who can work with you for free to identify grant opportunities for your district and help you craft proposals, whether the program is from the EPA, at the state level or through another organization.
Take the First Step Today
Making your electric transition is exciting but it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. “Anybody that has the opportunity, should get started. If you aren’t comfortable making a huge transition, try 2 or 3 buses. IC Bus can help you find the routes that make the most sense to get started. It’s coming so let’s get ahead of it and start understanding how it’s going to work for you,” says Borror.
From fuel savings and quieter rides to cleaner air for kids at bus stops, there’s so much to love about the Electric CE Series. No matter where you are in your journey, our trusted advisors can help you navigate toward a seamless and successful transition to electric.
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