Minnesota makes an electric comeback! Let's keep Minnesota a safe space with clean air for all!
Check out our 2024 Clean School Bus Rebate Program Breakdown Google Document. You can share this document with your district or staff on the who, what, when, and why they need to apply for this program right now. We’ve already used $4B of the total $5B we are given, we are running out of money and we cannot miss this opportunity! Fill out this action alert Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate put together- tell your Senators and Representative to protect the remaining $1B in the EPA Clean School Bus Program from cuts by the Trump administration. Pass this on to others in your network too. It only takes a couple of minutes to powerfully advocate to fund thousands of zero-emission electric school buses!
Thanks to the fierce work of our Clean Transportation team (yes, that means you!) Minnesota was able to make the biggest comeback in the EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program- but we need to keep the momentum going!
In 2022 Minnesota only received 3 electric school buses from the EPA’s 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate Program, 1 to Ogilvie Public School District and 2 to Red Lake Public School District.
Now in 2023, we’ve increased that number 20x! Minnesota was awarded 67 electric school buses from the 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program! This is thanks to your help in educating, advocating, and engaging stakeholders across the state on the importance of why we need to electrify our school bus fleets.
We attended multiple school board meetings, published articles, and held training all to better the earth for our current and future generations.
The 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate awarded schools are Bloomington Public School District, Edina Public School District, Lanesboro Public School, Laporte Public School District, Rochester Public School District, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan, and St. Paul Public School District.
The 2024 Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Grant Program awarded schools and agencies are, Minnesota Public Schools (25 Electric School Buses), Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (19 Electric School Buses).
Subscribe to our monthly "It's Electric" Newsletter!
Subscribe to our monthly It's Electric Newsletter! This newsletter will provide updates on what funding opportunities, events, and meetings are happening. Additionally, it will provide an overview of the month before and ways to get connected in the month to come.
The time to transition Minnesota's diesel school buses to clean, zero-emission school buses is right now!
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act gives the EPA $5 billion dollars over the next five fiscal years to financially support the deployment of electric school buses. With this funding, schools will be able to apply to make zero-emission school buses a reality in our communities.
We are already halfway through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, with 2 out of the 5 Clean School Bus Rebate Programs being completed, along with 1 of the Clean School Bus Grant Programs being completed. We are expecting to hear updates on which MN districts were awarded electric school buses for the 2023 Rebate round this April.
There is a lot in store for electric school buses in MN in 2025:
- The EPA has ran 4 out of the 5 potential rounds of funding they can for the Clean School Bus Program which is funded through the Infastructure Investments and Jobs Act. The final funding is currently up in the air, and we are urging our Senators and Representative to protect the remaining $1B in the EPA Clean School Bus Program from cuts by the Trump administration. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has matched the remaining of their Volkswagen funding to fully cover the cost of 9 electric school buses from the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle 2024 Grant Program.
- The Minnesota Department of Commerce has their second RFP for electric school bus equipment program which is open now until May 13th, 2025.
- Depending on the district’s financial need and other district prioritization criteria, the Department can cover between 80% and 90% of bus cost, and 65% and 95% of other eligible expenses.
- Check out the full RFP here!
With all these programs coming down, we need your help! Join our Clean Transportation Team to make sure your district is able to utilize these FREE electric school buses!
Take Action!
The EPA’s Clean School Bus Rebate Program is open right now, but the application can be daunting.
Your school district needs to hear from parents, kids, and community members in order to take time out of their busy schedules to apply.
We can’t let this opportunity pass us by! Write to your school district today and tell them: Our students deserve clean electric school buses.
Huge shoutout to the students at the University of Minnesota for their incredible work on this project!
Your dedication and creativity have been instrumental in advancing the movement for electric school buses in Minnesota. This video showcases the passion and talent of UMN students as they collaborate to make a significant impact. Thank you for lending your voices and skills to propel this important environmental initiative forward.
Watch now to see how these students are driving change and helping pave the way for a cleaner, greener future!
What policies are in place throughout the US?
Check out MN350’s tracksheet of what different electric school bus policies, funding, or both currently exist or are enforced throughout the United States. This tracksheet was created by MN350’s Clean Transportation Summer Intern, Holly Swiglo.
This tracksheet was last updated in August 2024.
Information for Schools
Ready to apply? We're ready to support you! Click the pencil above to visit the application support page we put together just for you!
Why Transition to Electric Buses?
- Transitioning to clean electric buses reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, improves children’s health, and positively impacts academic performance.
- Diesel exposure on school buses lowers academic scores and increases school absenteeism.
- Students on school buses are exposed to 5 to 15 times the levels of particle pollution than at nearby monitoring sites and up to four times the levels of a nearby car.
- Electric vehicle manufacturing provides more than 1,000 jobs in Minnesota, most of which are seen at the New Flyer (St. Cloud, MN) and Zeus Electric Chassis (White Bear Lake, MN) facilities. Most of the vehicles produced in Minnesota are shipped to other states with more ambitious climate goals.
- Zeus Electric Chassis uses many Minnesota-based parts suppliers to build its electric vehicles, including electric school buses being developed. These parts suppliers are local and support communities in our state.
- Lion Electric, one of the biggest manufacturers of electric school buses on the continent, is creating a new facility in neighboring Iowa, which will employ 750 people.
- Some schools have already invested in solar panels to power their buildings. Pairing solar power with electric buses is a win for schools that could charge buses with local solar energy.
- The total cost of ownership (TCO) of an electric school bus is only 10% higher over the buses 12-year lifespan, so affordability is less of a concern.
- Replacing all of America’s school buses with electric buses could avoid an average of 5.3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year which – the equivalent of taking about a million cars off the road.
- Several states and cities across the country, including Minneapolis, have targets to 100% electrify their school bus fleets by 2040.
- The Biden-Harris Administration has a goal to ensure all new school buses are US-made and 100% emission-free by 2030.
- School bus manufacturers have resources to help schools plan for bus fleet electrification and apply for electric school bus grants.
Did you know?
Schmitty & Sons was the first Minnesota bus company to invest in an all-electric bus and has been successfully transporting Lakeville ISD 194 students in their zero-emission bus since 2017!
In addition, the MPCA has awarded 5 school districts $2.1 million in grants to purchase 8 electric school buses.
Electric school buses are already being used in Minnesota, so we can build on their knowledge and best practices to successfully transition other schools to electric school buses.
About us
MN350 is part of the Coalition for Clean Transportation, a team of Minnesota-based clean energy, environmental, and social justice advocacy groups working on transportation improvement. As part of this coalition, MN350 wants to support schools in the transition from dirty diesel buses to zero-emission school buses as part of a larger goal to transition all vehicles — large and small — to zero emissions. We want to support schools, contractors, tribes, and communities interested in electrifying their school bus fleets.
Our team advocated for electric school buses to be taken seriously at the state level this legislative session — and we won! Now we are focusing on:
- Connecting people who want to see their school districts get clean electric school buses and take advantage of this funding opportunity
- Connecting schools to resources to apply for and receive electric school bus grants.
If you have questions, want to connect with others in your school district, or need advice on how to approach your school board about getting more electric school buses, please reach out to our team! cleantransportation@mn350.org
