Modesto’s milestone unit is now one of 1,500 Blue Bird electric school buses serving school districts across 41 US states. Replacing 1,500 diesel-powered and polluting school buses with an equal number of zero-emission vehicles reduces carbon emissions by nearly 16,000 metric tons annually. In addition, more than 110,000 students a day are no longer exposed to diesel tailpipe emissions linked to serious health issues such as asthma or heart disease.

Blue Bird recently celebrated the grand opening of its Electric Vehicle (EV) Build-up Center, which will enable the company to increase its long-term production capacity to 5,000 electric school buses a year.

Blue Bird’s zero-emission school buses are powered by the electric PowerDrive 7000 system from Accelera by Cummins. The upgraded system provides superior performance and is equipped with a next-gen battery that has a capacity of 196 kWh—a 25% increase from the previous model. With this updated battery technology, these electric school buses can now travel up to 130 miles on a single charge.

This partnership has been instrumental in providing school districts nationwide with sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation solutions.

Modesto City School purchased its advanced electric vehicles through Blue Bird’s authorized school bus dealer A-Z Bus Sales in California.