Efficient Drivetrains to supply electric drive system for school buses

Milpitas, California – Efficient Drivetrains Inc. (EDI), has won a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contract to provide an electric drivetrain for a $4.4 million project to replace diesel engines with electric drive for school buses. Combined with matching funding from other public and private entities in California, the total project funding represents an electrification program of more than $9 million.

School buses continue to remain the largest mass transit segment in the country, carrying more than twice the number of passengers as the entire US transit and rail segments. EDI will supply its PowerDrive 7000ev electric drivetrain in conjunction with its EDI Power2E exportable power solution to a school bus manufacturer to develop a fleet of zero-emissions electric-powered school buses with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities.

The bus offers 100+ miles of all electric zero-emissions driving, with the expected full power performance of its traditional diesel counterpart and requires no change to driver behavior to operate. Fleet managers will have access to real-time fleet tracking and vehicle diagnostics featuring the location, state of charge, and other valuable information using the EDI PowerTracker telematics system.

“We are continuing to see an influx of requests from the industry related to the electrification of school buses in the U.S. Having successfully deployed our system in leading type C and D OEM platforms, EDI is well positioned with a portfolio that helps bus manufacturers deploy electrified vehicle solutions into their product offerings rapidly,” says Joerg Ferchau, CEO of Efficient Drivetrains.