El Monte Union High School District Unveils New Fleet Of Electric School Buses
EL MONTE (CBSLA) — El Monte Union High School District officials and students cut a ribbon on its new fleet of electric school buses this week.
The district on Wednesday unveiled its new fleet of 11 electric school buses, part of a pilot program from the California Air Resources Board. The agency gave El Monte Union High School District a nearly $10 million grant to purchase the buses and promote the state's emphasis on zero-emissions technology and clean transportation.
El Monte was only one of three districts in the state chosen to receive the grant, which also funded a new curriculum to engage students in clean energy careers, all-electric maintenance vehicles, and heavy-duty charging stations and on-site energy storage that connects to the district's existing solar system.
While electric vehicles are gaining in popularity throughout California, electric school buses are still a relative rarity. The Los Angeles Unified School District also unveiled its first electric school bus this year.
An infrastructure bill passed by the Senate earlier this month includes $5 billion for electric and low-emissions school buses, but must still pass in the House before President Biden can sign it into law.