IC Bus, a subsidiary of Navistar, is taking its electric school bus, chargE, on the road for the first time.
The 2018 national tour begins with its first stop at the California Association of School Transportation (CASTO) State Board of Directors’ 50th annual meeting in San Diego.
On the first leg of the tour, chargE will visit more than 10 locations throughout the West Coast to provide an up-close-and-personal opportunity for bus industry stakeholders to experience the electric IC Bus CE Series concept school bus, developed with Navistar’s alliance partner, Volkswagen Truck & Bus.
“We’re excited to showcase our electric school bus with industry stakeholders on the West Coast and throughout the country,” states Trish Reed, vice president and general manager of IC Bus. “Our electric school bus is another example of how IC Bus is driving the future of school bus transportation. In addition to providing our customers with an electric school bus vehicle, we’re focused on giving them a total electric transportation solution.”
The tour will include scheduled stops at trade shows, schools and local government events, including at locations in and around Sacramento, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The chargE concept electric school bus incorporates a common group electric drivetrain from Volkswagen Truck & Bus that is quiet, does not produce any emissions, and can be built to address any school bus customer’s specific requirements, says IC Bus. The range of the chargE can exceed 120 miles, while the powertrain can deliver up to 260 kW (about 349 peak horsepower).
The company originally unveiled the chargE at the 2017 National Association for Pupil Transportation Annual Conference and Trade Show. It is expected to be launched in late 2019 or early 2020.
