ADOMANI Inc., a provider of zero-emission and hybrid vehicle drivetrain solutions and purpose-built electric vehicles (EVs), has announced its participation in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant award along with Blue Bird Corp.
In December 2016, the DOE announced it would be awarding $15 million to organizations in an effort to accelerate the adoption of advanced and alternative fuel vehicles. Blue Bird Corp., a school bus manufacturer located in Fort Valley, Ga., was presented the largest award of $4.4 million, going toward the development of a zero-emissions, 100% electric school bus with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. The Blue Bird Vision electric bus drivetrain systems will be developed in conjunction with California-based ADOMANI Inc., along with its technology partner, Efficient Drivetrains Inc. (EDI).
The primary DOE grant objective is to develop a production-ready, industry-leading, energy-efficient electric drivetrain (kW energy use per mile) with high-rate export power (V2G) capabilities for use in Type C school bus applications, explains ADOMANI.
“We will have zero-emission electric school buses for delivery to customers this year,” says Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corp. “We are excited to be in this new and exclusive partnership with ADOMANI and their drivetrain technology partner, EDI, and look forward to bringing this bus to market in 2018. All attributes required in the DOE award, including V2G capability, will be available in 2019.”
Combined with matching funding from other public and private entities in California, the total project funding will be over $9 million and will result in a demonstration fleet deployed in California by 2019, according to the partners.