Maine Officially Has Its First-Ever Fully Electrical School Bus

We know the basics for building a sustainable future: renewable energy, electric vehicles, reduce, reuse, recycle, you know the drill.

But how often do these habits actually get implemented?

Once again, Mount Desert Island High School has paved the way for Mainers to act sustainably and build a promising future for the next generations to come.

According to an article in News Center Maine, the Bar Harbor high school recently secured Maine’s first-ever 100% electric school bus.

We’re used to seeing Teslas hitting the streets and Toyotas going hybrid, but an electric school bus? Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Not only do these busses notably emit zero carbon emissions, but what a fantastic way to get young kids aware of and talking about renewable energy and sustainable efforts.

As much as we’d love to see schools following suit, there is definitely a financial barrier. These busses cost around $350,000; However, it is worthy to note that there are also offset costs.

It is less expensive to maintain, has lower operating costs, and according to the News Center Maine article, it will save the school approximately $5,000 per year in fuel costs.

So, how did they do it?

Mount Desert had already made a name for themselves for being the first school in Maine to run entirely on renewable energy by installing more than 1,400 solar panels in 2019, according to mainepublic.org.

With a clear mission to build a sustainable future through hands-on efforts, News Center Maine stated that Volkswagen Emissions Fraud Settlement presented the high school with a grant that paid for 80% of the new bus, as part of their ongoing efforts to provide schools with grants if they make eco-friendly changes to their institution.

Gotta love an incentive to go green! (As if climate change isn't enough). But, sometimes we need an added push, and financial aid is definitely a help.

Hopefully, Mount Desert's continuous efforts to build a better and brighter future prove to be contagious.