Los Angeles District Unveils its First Electric School Bus

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) recently unveiled its first electric school bus.

The electric bus was delivered to the district during a ceremony on May 6, according to a post on LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner’s Facebook page. Beutner, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and U.S. Representative Tony Cárdenas, were among those in attendance.

As School Bus Fleet previously reported, in February, LAUSD ordered a total of 10 LionC school buses from The Lion Electric Co.

The school bus manufacturer collaborated with the district to ensure its buses met the unique requirements posed by its large and diverse footprint, according to Lion. The electric buses are reportedly designed to have an operating range of 155 miles on a single charge and include wheelchair lifts.

The delivery of the first LionC for LAUSD follows Sen. Padilla and Congressman Cárdenas’s co-introduction of the Clean Commute for Kids Act in April. The legislation authorizes $25 billion over the next decade to begin replacing aging diesel buses with electric school buses.

“Studies show that transitioning to cleaner buses can support not just the health of our students, but their academic performance as well,” Padilla said during the unveiling ceremony, according to CBS LA.

Padilla also said, according to the news source, that he is working to ensure electric school buses will be a part of a larger national infrastructure plan when the Clean Commute for Kids Act receives final approval.

View additional photos from the unveiling ceremony, posted on Beutner's Facebook page, below.

Originally posted on School Bus Fleet