Blue Bird Premieres Next-Generation Electric School Bus; More Range, Faster Charging, Increased Seating; Cummins Accelera Powertrain

The Vision vehicle launch represents a continued partnership between Blue Bird and Accelera by Cummins, Cummins’ zero-emissions technology business segment.

This new Type C electric school bus features a proven powertrain platform and a next-generation battery with a capacity of 196 kWh, a more than 25%t capacity increase compared to today’s model bus. The battery enables a vehicle range of up to 130 miles on a single charge. The next-generation battery takes merely three hours to fully recharge since it supports a fast-charging rate of 80 kW.

In addition, Blue Bird improved the warranty on the upgraded system to allow for 360 MWh of energy throughput, more than double the amount compared to the standard battery offering. This will benefit Blue Bird customers who utilize the batteries’ revenue-generating vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. V2G technology allows EV fleet operators to sell excess energy stored in school bus batteries back to electric power companies at a profit.

The next-generation compact and lightweight batteries contribute to improved efficiency and a vehicle weight reduction of approximately 1,000 lbs. In turn, Blue Bird increased the seating capacity of its new Vision electric bus to 77 passengers, up from 72 passengers.

In addition, the advanced Vision electric school bus performs even better in cold weather climates than its predecessor. An improved engineering design and internally insulated batteries limit the heat loss in the vehicle’s next-generation energy storage system. Furthermore, a new optional fuel-fired heating system generates more than 20% more cabin heat than the current solution.

Blue Bird will continue to build its next-generation electric school buses at its manufacturing facility in Fort Valley, Ga. The company recently celebrated the grand opening of its EV Build-up Center, which will enable Blue Bird to increase its long-term production capacity to 5,000 electric school buses a year. Accelera will supply the electric powertrain for Blue Bird’s new Vision electric school bus. Blue Bird and Cummins have collaborated on technology innovation for decades and continue to serve school districts nationwide.