Through route optimization and infrastructure planning, the companies aim to create efficiencies and save districts capital costs at every phase of electrification.
DENVER, Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- School Bus Logistics, LLC, the leader in logistics consulting and support to school districts across North America, and Microgrid Labs, Inc., a leading consulting and software company specializing in commercial fleet electrification and microgrids, have announced their partnership. Together, the companies will help school districts prepare for, and make the switch to, electric buses.
The push to convert the nation's diesel bus fleet to electric is gaining momentum, driven by new state and federal policies aimed at producing more clean-energy vehicles. In March, The Environmental Protection Agency issued the final version of a new rule that sets higher fuel efficiency standards for manufacturers producing school buses and other heavy-duty vehicles. This new rule will go into effect in 2027 and will lead to 40 percent of school bus production being electric by 2032, according to the EPA's regulatory impact analysis of the rule.
"We're hearing a lot from clients that they're looking to start, or continue, their electrification journey but struggle with putting the right foundation in place," said Robert Jacobus, founder and CEO of School Bus Logistics, "While we aren't the company to help them make decisions on equipment, we are experts in getting their routes streamlined and optimized so that they can feel confident that the equipment they do end up purchasing will meet their stop and run needs."
School Bus Logistics (SBL) helps school districts across the country create efficient bus stops and routes to reduce overall costs. Their route optimization offerings provide districts with a clear understanding of their routes' length and time, as well as the opportunity to combine and streamline routes — a solution that also helps address ongoing driver shortages.
According to Chuck Ray, business development director at Microgrid Labs, "When a district has a solid understanding of their future routes, we can more easily aid them in the evaluation of their electric infrastructure needs. This involves modeling electric bus feasibility across the fleet, right-sizing the charging system, and assessing their district's specific operations using our modeling platform, EVopt, to answer the critical questions about electrification, districts gain a solid grasp about where to deploy, what to buy, and how to fund their zero-emissions goals."
EVopt delivers data-driven insights and supports the life-cycle of fleet transition — plan, design, build, deploy, operate, and optimize. It leverages a fleet-as-a-system approach to model and simulate energy consumption for the local operating environment, determining the correct bus battery sizes for every route and optimizing the charging system design, which saves capital costs at every phase of electrification. The platform utilizes data validation from national labs and proprietary algorithms co-developed through federal R&D.
As the push for electric vehicles continues to grow, districts will look for ways to make the transition as easy as possible while also adhering to tightening budgets. The Clean School Bus Program from the EPA is helping districts, especially smaller, rural communities, to finance this change and usher in clean air for students on their way to learn.
Together, SBL and Microgrid Labs offer comprehensive consulting to help districts transition to electric bus fleets in a cost-effective, sustainable way. From route optimization to infrastructure planning and beyond, they work with districts to guide decision making for the best outcomes possible.
For additional information or to schedule a discussion, email [email protected] or [email protected].
School Bus Logistics was created in 2010 to provide logistics consulting and support to school district officials and school bus contracting companies. With more than 65 years of combined routing software experience and routing operations, their focus is solely on pupil transportation routing and the challenges it brings to school districts and the communities they serve.
Microgrid Labs Inc (MGL) is a consulting and software company specializing in commercial fleet electrification and microgrids.
Media Contact
Robert Jacobus, School Bus Logistics, 1 303-518-3148, [email protected], shoolbuslogistics.com
SOURCE School Bus Logistics
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