School Bus Fleet, June 2018
Zonars EVIR system saves you time money and worry Using one of our handheld devices drivers simply scan the EVIR tags that are placed in and around the bus including the back of the bus to make sure end of shift checks are done State of the art solutions for every fleet Our Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting EVIR system is just one of the many ways we make sure that your fleet and its precious cargo never get left behind We have a no child left behind policy too 8778433847 zonarsystems com Client Zonar Systems Child Safety Campaign Created by GSS Communiqations 3239391181 Untitled 2 1 12 18 17 2 20 PM 19 JUNE 2018 SCHOOL BUS FLEET cations of major disconnect switches and charge ports On the horizon Looking farther down the road bus manufacturers such as IC Bus and Thomas Built Buses are working with school districts and school bus contractors utility companies and government officials to provide a comprehensive solution that covers charging infrastructure vehicle to grid technology and financial incentives and not just an electric bus We are taking the necessary time to research engineer and validate the technology and components that make up the ChargE says Trish Reed vice president and general manager of IC Bus Similarly Leslie Kilgore vice president of engineering at Thomas Built Buses says that beginning production of Jouley in 2019 provides more time to work with our partners and utility providers to finesse system integration electric charging infrastructure and battery life for the best customer experience nicole schlosser@ bobit com also provided documentation for emergency responders to refer to for accident procedures The vehicle has a tremendous amount of electricity With all this extra voltage first responders have to be careful that they are not touching something before cutting the main power of the vehicle so theyre not putting themselves and the passengers in danger Gocke adds The batteries are safe but there is still potential for someone to get hurt if they do the wrong thing in an accident Drivers also need to be educated on how electric vehicles handle differently The buses have a diferent type of acceleration and regenerative braking Gocke says The driver needs to know that the vehicle is going to try to slow down when they come of the accelerator Educational Bus has also trained drivers on emergency procedures and the lo The bi directional charger has been operational since November 2017 and the bus has since been running regularly School districts are often in older buildings which dont have the necessary power available to charge electric vehicles Sethi of Motiv notes so utility companies need time to update the back end infrastructure including adding transformers or power lines Thankfully some utility companies such as Pacific Gas and Electric Co Con Edison and Duke Energy have taken note and announced plans for programs to encourage transportation electrification We absolutely need utilities to be part of the conversation Sethi says Know applicable requirements Preparing for specific requirements buses need to meet such as for heating or avoiding rolling backward can also help prevent delays in getting and keeping them on the road Shortly after putting its eSeries into service during the 2016 17 school year for Copiague N Y School District Educational Bus a subsidiary of The Trans Group found that its heating system wasnt strong enough to run during New Yorks colder temperatures and meet state requirements says James Gocke director of maintenance Motiv Power Systems made upgrades to the drivetrain to improve power over about a year Then Motiv worked with Trans Tech to include a newer fully electric HVAC system as they upgraded the heating Sethi says Educational Bus got the bus back three months ago and the heating has worked well Gocke says Twin Rivers USDs eight Trans Techs also needed to get a slight rollback corrected before going into operation Motiv had released a software update hill hold which fixed the issue Essential training In addition to drivers local emergency responders should be trained on ways in which electric buses are unique Educational Bus worked with Copiague School District and local fire departments in the areas the bus would travel through so that first responders would be aware of the electric buss diferences Gocke says Motiv We absolutely need utilities to be part of the conversation Kash Sethi director of sales Motiv Power Systems
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.