WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – Wichita Falls was one of four cities chosen to experience the new world of electric vehicles brought by the Texas Electric Vehicle Alliance and the Texas Electric School Bus Project to help gas vehicle-dependent cities spread their wings.
The roadshow was all about educating the public on EV transportation options and how they can benefit the community.
These organizations, along with TXDOT and a few others, have partnered together to bring about the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
The message the organizations hope to convey include the benefits EV’s have on both the environment and the economy, in addition to their potential to improve lives across the state.
“The carbon dioxide put out by that car in one year almost weighs as much as two Chevy Suburbans. Now on the economic side, all kinds of jobs are coming to Texas. The number one employer after just a couple of years is Tesla,” Texas EV Alliance Executive Director Buzz Smith said.
The Alliance and other EV proponents have a goal of installing charging stations every 50 miles along the interstate. EV’s are also making strides in school districts with new electric-powered school buses.
“It’s clean transportation, there’s no tailpipe with emissions coming out of it, so environmentally much better for students and the neighborhoods that serve the buses and the schools as well. A side benefit is the cost of operation and the cost of maintenance on the bus is actually lower than a traditional diesel bus,” Blue Bird EV product segment leader Brad Beauchamp said.
The money that would usually go toward a gas-powered bus could be allocated elsewhere throughout the school district.
While the organizations continue to push towards this new form of energy for the future of Texas driving, these electric power buses could hit the roads sooner than later.
“Through the Federal EPA Clean School Bus Program, it has really supercharged the deployments the past two and a half going on three years. It’s been all over the state of Texas, and its deployments of three buses here and four buses there, so they all get to try them out,” Beauchamp said.
These programs are pushing for an additional 130 EV buses coming in the next couple of years.
All of these organizations share a common message that it isn’t just about having a fancy way to get around, it’s a new sustainable form of energy.
The electric batteries that power these vehicles could have additional capabilities in the future, including powering schools and homes in emergency situations.
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