Roanoke Cooperative has helped bring the first electric school buses to two of the most economically distressed school districts in North Carolina, giving children a cleaner ride to class while they learn more about EV technology.
“This initiative is not just about advancing technology; it’s about educating our students and community on the importance of renewable energy and sustainability,” Marshall Cherry, the co-op’s president and CEO, said at a recent ceremony unveiling a new 60-kilowatt, dual-port DC fast charger that Roanoke will use to power the first electric school bus in its service territory.
The bus, based with its charger at Bertie County High School in Windsor, is the first of five electric school buses that the Bertie County Schools system is slated to receive, Cherry said.
“The electric buses and this charging station will act as powerful learning tools, inspiring the next generation to explore careers in green energy and sustainable practices,” he said.
Halifax County Schools, also served by Roanoke, was close behind Bertie County in acquiring an electric bus—the second in the co-op’s territory. Halifax County is expected to get three more.
“Within the next two to three years, we should have nine buses total that we will be electrifying on our system,” Cherry said. “We’re really looking forward to that. The environmental friendliness of the buses is important to us.”
Roanoke Cooperative reached out to all the school districts in its territory to see if they were interested in acquiring electric school buses, Cherry said. The Aulander-based co-op then worked with school officials to support their applications for federal grants, and it helped arrange installation for the charger at the high school.
The Bertie County bus and charger, which cost a total of about $400,000, were funded at no cost to co-op consumer-members or taxpayers. The money came from the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Settlement. The German auto manufacturer agreed to spend $2 billion to promote zero-emission vehicles after the Environmental Protection Agency sued it in 2016 for falsifying emissions data about its diesel vehicles.
The remaining buses for both school districts are being funded by the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which was created by the bipartisan infrastructure law and provides $5 billion over five years to school districts throughout the nation.
“Roanoke serves one of the most economically distressed regions in the state, and these two school districts are among the most distressed in North Carolina,” Cherry said. “They have limited resources, so it’s especially gratifying to see them get these buses.”
It also helps the co-op, he said.
“Any kilowatt-hour that we sell benefits our members,” Cherry said. “It provides some growth on our system, and the source of that growth is cleaner transportation for kids in our community.”
Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.