Red Lake buses go green

On a quiet September morning, the powerful sounds of a drum circle and jingle dresses resonated outside of Red Lake Elementary School, traditional echoes of Red Lake Nation in Minnesota. But as much as these sounds honored the tribal nation’s past, they were also welcoming a new transportation future for their children – two new all-electric school buses.

“I’m very proud to be here today,” Red Lake Schools Superintendent Tim Lutz told the crowd at the close of the drum and dance performance by Red Lake School students, which kicked off a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the district’s newest additions. “For our team here in Red Lake, seeing these new buses arrive and out on the roads is the culmination of a two-year-long vision for our district.”

Red Lake Schools was awarded federal funding for the two Highland Electric Fleets buses through the second round of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean School Bus Program. When Red Lake applied, it was up against approximately 2,000 other school districts across the country. However, the applications broke through to receive $790,000 to help offset the cost of two buses, which will take the place of two diesel buses in the fleet. They’re the first electric buses serving indigenous students in the state of Minnesota.

“Red Lake School District, we thank you. You were an early adopter and an eager partner in this program,” EPA’s Michelle Becker said to a wave of applause. “We are excited that these new school buses will produce zero emissions compared to the older diesel predecessors, paving the way for improved air quality, public health and environmental protection.”

Highland CEO Duncan McIntyre made the trip from Boston to Minnesota to help celebrate the ribbon cutting. He told attendees he decided to start his company seven years ago, when he saw his son, a second grader, stand next to a diesel school bus emitting exhaust.

“Less than 2% of the school buses in the United States are electric school buses. It’s really a remarkable achievement. And to do it here in this setting is incredibly special,” McIntyre said. “It’s a great example, not only for the state of Minnesota, but for the entire country.”

More than savings

If you ask Red Lake Schools Business Manager Willie Larson why he and Lutz applied for the electric buses, he’ll tell you their strategy was three-pronged – they could take another step toward Red Lake Nation’s environmental goals, provide a technology learning opportunity for students and, of course, save the school a whole lot of money. A standard diesel school bus can cost the district $160,000 each. Through available funding, these new electric buses were added to the fleet at essentially no cost to the school district.

“We thought it’d be kind of nice to give them a try and see how they do work. I mean, it’s completely unknown,” Larson said. “We had Tim here who has two vehicles that are electric. So, he had some understanding of what we should expect.”

“I imagine we’re going to find that there’s much less maintenance,” Lutz responded. “I have not brought either one of my cars in for any maintenance – one car in three years, one in two years – other than for tire rotations. There’s no oil change, there’s no belts, no mufflers, no spark plugs.”

Right now, the electric buses are being used for the shortest of the school’s 20 daily routes until the drivers have a feel for what circumstances take a toll most on the battery’s up-to-190-mile charge (cold weather, terrain, etc.). Red Lake Schools will work together with Highland to collect energy and charging data on the buses throughout the school year, which they can compare to overall budget savings to determine the financial impact of the buses. But the long-term impact they’re anticipating most is on the 1,700 students in the community.

During the first years with the bus, Red Lake Schools will work with academic and business partners to incorporate more hands-on science and technology opportunities into class curriculums, especially focused on the energy field.

“It’s been really kind of exciting. I think we’re really on the cusp of a lot of technological advances that are coming into schools,” Larson said. “I like it for the simple fact that we’re really educating and training a generation coming up about how important it is to care for our environment.”

Power partners

Red Lake Schools will have some help learning more about their plug-in buses along the way. Sixty miles to the south, Laporte Public Schools will soon receive an electric bus of their own through a similar grant. The schools compete in several sports, so they’ll be able to share charging stations after a gameday drive.

Beltrami Electric Cooperative (BEC), power provider for Red Lake Schools, will also be ready to help – and already has. BEC found the most efficient way to tap into the charging power the buses needed, ran an underground line to the bus garage and set up the necessary service panels. Additionally, with assistance from Minnkota Power Cooperative, the co-op provided a $10,000 rebate for the bus and set the district up on its off-peak charging program. With this program, the buses can be charged during times of low power demand (like overnight) at nearly half the standard electric rate.

“More than anything, our role is to be a conduit of information. We provide as much information as we can and let people know about rebate opportunities for off-peak charging,” said Mike Birkeland, BEC Vice President of Electrification and Member Experience. “The off-peak program is good for the members in this case directly, but it’s also good for the rest of the membership, as it keeps our wholesale power costs much lower.”

Red Lake Schools feels confident about the future of their electric bus fleet. In fact, they’re applying for funding for five more electric buses in the latest round of the EPA Clean School Bus Program. There’s less funding to go around this time due to the growing popularity of the program, but that won’t stop Larson and Lutz from putting in the extra energy for their students.

“When the children do well,” Lutz said, “We all do well.”

MAIN IMAGE: Transportation coordinator Michael Nelson points out unique components of the electric buses. (Minnkota/Michael Hoeft)