LUSD to apply for six zero emission buses

The Lodi Unified School District could have several new school buses in its fleet in the coming months.

The district’s Board of Education on Tuesday voted 6-0 to authorize staff to apply for six zero-emission buses through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Zero-Emission Transit, School and Shuttle Bus Project.

According to Tuesday’s staff report, the buses would replace six, old but zero-emission compliant vehicles, for a total of more than $2.6 million.

Leonard Kahn, the district’s chief business officer, said if the district is selected to participate in the program, grant funding would pay as much as $400,000 for each of the new buses. Ultimately, the district would only be paying $135,571.90 for each vehicle if the application process is successful, he said.

“The board should know that electric vehicles are a bit more expensive than your typical diesel buses,” Khan said via conference call Tuesday night. A little Blue Bird is a little more than $200,000 for diesel, and (compressed natural gas) buses are a little more expensive (than that). This is better than (paying) $400,000 for each one.”

The Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust is a nationwide program that provides about $423 million for California to combat the excess nitrogen oxide emissions Volkswagen produced through the illegal emissions testing it performed on its diesel vehicles.

In 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation of the Clean Air Act to Volkswagen when it found the automaker had intentionally programmed diesel engines to activate emissions control technology only during laboratory testing.

This caused vehicles’ nitrogen oxide output to meet US standards during regulatory testing, but emit as much as 40 times more nitrogen oxide on the road, according to National Public Radio.

Volkswagen put the software in about 11 million cars worldwide through 2009 and 2015, including 500,000 in the United States, the EPA said.

Kahn said the mitigation trust was Volkswagen’s resolution with California to correct its emissions output.

Tuesday’s vote is another method the district is using to ensure its entire fleet of buses are zero-emission vehicles.

Last May, the district applied for grant funds to purchase five compressed natural gas buses totaling more than $1 million.

According to the United States Department of Energy, CNG buses emit more than 90% less particle mass — or tailpipe exhaust — than diesel buses.

Zero emission buses, according to the United States Department of Transportation, use electricity to power a battery without the use of overhead wires.

“This is very, very exciting,” board vice president Ron Freitas told Kahn Tuesday night. “Thanks for finding this opportunity for us and presenting it to the board.”

During the Zero-Emission Transit, School and Shuttle Bus project’s 10-year period, about 425 vehicles will be replaced by zero-emission vehicles, according to www.greencarcongress.com.

Board president Joe Nava was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.