Connecticut-based student transportation contractor DATTCO Inc. has added a Collins Type A electric school bus to its fleet, operating as a part of the Middletown Public School contract.
The company says this is the first electric school bus to be in operation in the state.
The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) approached DATTCO about submitting a grant through Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s vehicle diesel electrification project – which was funded through the Volkswagen Settlement funds – to put an electric bus into Middletown. DATTCO was awarded funding to replace one diesel-powered school bus with one all-electric.
“We are starting to see a trend away from diesel towards alternative fuel buses among our some of our school bus contracts and dealership clients,” says Don DeVivo, DATTCO president. “It is very exciting for us to be the first student transportation contractor in Connecticut to acquire the Collins electric school bus.”
The Collins electric bus offers up to 85% operating and maintenance savings, as well as an innovative structural design ensuring additional safety for students and the driver. Electric motors are also quiet, allowing drivers to be able to communicate more easily with students on board the bus, creating an overall safer ride.
The bus uses Motiv Power Systems’ Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis (EPIC), based on the Ford E-450 platform. The system’s batteries are sodium nickel configured in a series, which means if one runs out of power, another will take over.