Lion Electric, a manufacturer of all-electric medium- and heavy-duty urban vehicles, has secured an order for 10 of its all-electric school buses from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
“LAUSD is possibly the most well-known school district in the U.S.,” says Marc Bedard, founder and CEO of Lion Electric. “We are pleased to have been chosen as a key partner in their journey toward zero-emission school bus operations. These all-electric buses signify the district’s commitment to improving the local environment and the health of its communities. We are confident that they will meet and exceed the expectations of the operators and students.”
LAUSD serves over 600,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade at over 1,000 schools. The district’s boundaries stretch across 720 square miles and include the city of Los Angeles as well as all or parts of 31 municipalities and several unincorporated regions of Southern California.
Lion collaborated closely with the district in order to ensure its buses met the requirements posed by its large and diverse footprint. Each LionC bus has a range of 155 miles on a single charge and incorporates an integrated wheelchair lift. Lion will also provide support and training to LAUSD from its recently opened Experience Center in the region, located in Alhambra, Calif. The buses are expected to be delivered in spring 2021.
The electric buses were funded in part by the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) School Bus Replacement Program. Lion collaborated closely with LAUSD to add additional options to the base CEC specification to accommodate the unique needs of its routes. Under the program, Lion was awarded five out of the six available categories after extensive evaluations of EV drive system technical specifications, real-world deployments and OEM EV capabilities. The CEC ranked Lion not only as the highest performing manufacturer in its technical evaluation, but also the manufacturer with the most cost-competitive bid.
