Fairfax School District’s electric-powered school buses provide safe, zero-emissions transportation for students

Fairfax School District introduced two zero-emissions Blue Bird school buses to its fleet this school year. The school district’s Blue Bird electric school buses were purchased from the Agency of Natural Resources Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund. This pilot program is managed by the Vermont Energy Investment corporation, which is testing how well electric school buses work in Vermont’s climate and terrain.

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Handshakes and smiles next to the Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax EV Bus. Courtesy of Anderson Motors, Rhode Island

Through this pilot program, Fairfax School District was the first in the state to receive Cummins-powered electric school buses from Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England in July, and placed them into service for the start of school year.

“By participating in this pilot program, Fairfax School District is leading the state in adopting clean and economical Blue Bird electric school buses,” said Matthew Stevenson, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “Transitioning to these emission-free school buses makes sense for school districts to help reduce their carbon footprints, which means cleaner air for our children.”

The school district is using Level 2 AC PowerPort charging stations from Nuvve Holding Corp. (Nuvve) for intelligent charging now, and the buses are vehicle-to-grid (V2G)-ready should Fairfax upgrade to Nuvve’s V2G DC fast chargers in the future. This platform allows the school bus batteries to store energy when the grid doesn’t have immediate need for it, which then lets fleets provide stored energy back to the grid when demand calls for it.

The district’s Blue Bird electric school buses are powered by the Cummins PowerDrive EV system, utilizing technology from Nuvve.

“Electrifying our nation’s school bus fleet is no longer a future dream — it’s something we can achieve now when the various players in the industry work together to create cleaner rides for students and communities,” said Gregory Poilasne, chairman and CEO of Nuvve. “Nuvve is proud to partner with Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England, Cummins, and Blue Bird Corporation to provide a turnkey electrification solution for Fairfax School District. This is an example of how Nuvve can provide a path from intelligent charging to V2G to maximize the utilization and benefits of electric buses in Vermont and the Northeast.”

According to pilot program administrator Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, the district can save as much as $36,000 in fuel costs for each of its electric buses compared with a diesel bus and annual greenhouse gas emissions will be approximately 97% lower than diesel.

“Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England is proud to be a partner in the first ever deployment of two Blue Bird electric school buses in the state of Vermont. Working with VEIC, Fairfax School District, Blue Bird Corporation, Cummins, Nuvve, and Green Mountain Power has been very rewarding. We are pleased to be a part of the successful initiative to electrify Vermont’s first electric school buses”, said Jim Anderson, Vice President of Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England.

“This pilot program is the first in Vermont to establish a sustainable fleet with V2G technology, demonstrating how innovative zero-emissions technology is possible for communities across the nation,” said Brian Wilson, General Manager Electrified Components at Cummins. “Cummins has worked hard to innovate V2G-enabled software and implement it into all of our systems, giving our customers the ability to utilize this technology and optimize their infrastructure.”

The school district also added infrastructure and chargers to support their new zero-emissions buses as part of the program.

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About Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England: Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England is a second-generation family business that started in 1961. The headquarters are in East Providence, Rhode Island and it has been the leader in the transportation market in New England ever since. Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England services Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the exclusive Blue Bird Bus dealer. Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England represents Nuvve and Cummins as well in their designated area of responsibility. For more information regarding Anderson Motors Blue Bird Bus Sales of New England products and services, please visit www.andersonmotors.com or call 401-434-5900.

About Blue Bird Corporation: Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. Blue Bird buses carry the most precious cargo in the world – the majority of 25 million children twice a day – making us the most trusted brand in the industry. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 20,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses in operation today. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird's complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com. For Blue Bird's line of emission-free electric buses, visit www.bluebirdelectricbus.com.

About Nuvve Holding Corp.: Nuvve Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: NVVE) is leading the electrification of the planet, beginning with transportation, through its intelligent energy platform. Combining the world’s most advanced vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and an ecosystem of electrification partners, Nuvve dynamically manages power among electric vehicle (EV) batteries and the grid to deliver new value to EV owners, accelerate the adoption of EVs, and support the world’s transition to clean energy. By transforming EVs into mobile energy storage assets and networking battery capacity to support shifting energy needs, Nuvve is making the grid more resilient, enhancing sustainable transportation, and supporting energy equity in an electrified world. Since its founding in 2010, Nuvve has successfully deployed V2G on five continents and offers turnkey electrification solutions for fleets of all types. Nuvve is headquartered in San Diego, California, and can be found online at nuvve.com.

About Cummins Inc.: Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range from diesel, natural gas, electric and hybrid powertrains and powertrain-related components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen generation and fuel cell products. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (U.S.), since its founding in 1919, Cummins employs approximately 57,800 people committed to powering a more prosperous world through three global corporate responsibility priorities critical to healthy communities: education, environment and equality of opportunity. Cummins serves its customers online, through a network of company-owned and independent distributor locations, and through thousands of dealer locations worldwide and earned about $1.8 billion on sales of $19.8 billion in 2020. Learn more at cummins.com.

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