First Charge, a trenchless system, makes
it easier to electrify school buses and other fleets
CINCINNATI, Oct. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- First Student, the trusted school
transportation and technology provider to 2.75 million families in
North America, has created, an
innovative new approach to electric vehicle charging that has
numerous applications beyond student transportation. First Charge
is an above-ground, trenchless charging infrastructure solution
that enables a more efficient deployment of electric vehicles.
First Charge is designed to simplify the electrification process
for all school districts, eliminating the need for time-intensive
and cost-prohibitive trenching, even in cold weather climates.
First Charge is also capable of supporting other last mile services
for medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles such as dump trucks,
garbage trucks and even postal/delivery vehicles.
First Charge can save districts up to 50% on construction costs.
Its expansion-ready design allows districts to easily scale their
infrastructure. The flexible design is especially helpful for
districts that want to grow their electric school bus fleets over
time. First Charge is optimized for each and every electric school
bus deployment and will provide confidence to school administrators
that their electric school buses will be ready to safely and
reliably serve their students and families each school day.
"First Charge is a game changer in our industry because it
allows school districts to focus critical resources on what matters
most: educating students," said John
Kenning, First Student CEO. "For school districts who want
to or need to electrify their bus fleets without spending years
building infrastructure or constraining their capital budgets, this
kind of modular approach is faster, more affordable and handles
expansion better than existing systems. What makes us most proud of
this system, however, is that it provides a better experience for
students by putting more electric buses on the roads, creating a
safer, more enjoyable ride that's healthier for children and better
for the environment."
First Student is the leader in school bus electrification with
more than 360 electric school buses deployed in communities across
the United States and Canada. The company fully understands what is
required to operate electric school buses and its operational
expertise is fundamental in each First Charge deployment.
First Charge can support up to 25 electric school buses per
power management module. Most firms, hired by school districts to
design a power distribution solution to promote effective
electric school bus operations, choose to bury cable
underground. Burying cables requires digging and trenching, which
is an expensive approach that limits future expansion and is
disruptive to residents, businesses, and operations. Once buried,
the infrastructure can no longer be modified to accommodate
changing lot requirements as a school district grows its electric
school bus fleet.
"Over and over again, school districts tell us they have had to
abandon rebates and funds available to them because charging
infrastructure was too costly, complex or time intensive," said
Kevin Matthews, First Student Head
of Electrification. "We designed First Charge to solve that
problem. It is the first truly drop-and-go infrastructure solution.
First Charge allows districts to spend their time and money on
operations, student safety and other essential tasks while staying
compliant with state or federal electrification mandates. It also
rapidly advances electrification to take advantage of the health
and safety benefits that electric school buses provide to students
and communities."
First Student pairs First Charge with a comprehensive energy
management solution for customers called Charging as a Service
(CaaS). The CaaS offering handles energy procurement, charge
management, and fleet maintenance, allowing districts to focus on
transportation operations while First Student's First Services
division manages the charging infrastructure. It is also offered on
a monthly subscription basis. First Charge and CaaS removing the
complexities of energy management, charge scheduling, and vehicle
maintenance from the district's workload.
About First Student
As the leading school
transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to
provide unmatched care and the safest ride to school to 5.5 million
students every day. With a team of highly trained drivers, the
company will complete 1 billion student trips during the 2024-25
school year. First Student delivers reliable, quality services,
including full-service transportation and management, special-needs
transportation, fleet electrification, route optimization, and
scheduling, maintenance, and charter services with a fleet of about
45,000 buses. For more information, visit firststudentinc.com.
CONTACT
Jen
Biddinger
513.362.4600
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SOURCE First Student