电动校车系列：北卡罗来纳州的切诺基印第安人的东部乐队如何计划七代可持续发展
In collaboration with partners and communities, WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative aims to build unstoppable momentum toward an equitable transition of the U.S. school bus fleet to electric by 2030, bringing health, climate and economic benefits to children and families across the country and normalizing electric mobility for an entire generation. The Electric School Bus Series explains how superintendents and fleet managers across the United States have pursued school bus electrification in their own communities. This edition covers the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a sovereign nation located in Cherokee, North Carolina, whose校车承包商 - 切诺基男孩俱乐部（Cherokee Boys Club）和空中质量计划合作，共同为部落的三相电动校车飞行员。
部落学校和地区是优先and thus especially well-positioned to benefit from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newClean School Bus Program。该计划在未来五年内提供50亿美元的资金，以零排放模式代替现有的校车。对这个机会感兴趣的部落学校可以将像切诺基印第安人（EBCI）这样的领导者视为榜样。2022年3月，在EBCI的空中质量计划主管Katie Tiger和Cherokee Boys Club（CBC）服务经理Donnie Owle的领导下，EBCI成为北卡罗来纳州的第一家集团，也是第一批部落学校之一。全国购买电动校车。
这electric school bus serves Cherokee Central Schools, a tribally operated school system with approximately 1,300 students in grades K-12. CBC operates 20 route buses (26 total buses) for the school district, and this electric bus is just the beginning.
动机和共同利益
这EBCI’s longstanding commitment to environmental conservation was foundational for its electric school bus journey. Cherokee Central Schools has invested in无数的绿色实践，包括该地区最大的绿色建筑项目，雨水管理系统和室内空气质量改进。在部落范围内，EBCI的部落委员会通过了a resolution in October 2021 focusing on renewable能源和电动汽车说：“技术的进步和文化繁殖已极大地改变了我们的生活方式，正在改变我们的生物圈……切诺基对子孙后代的前景是提前计划七代人，以确保我们的后代和后代能够将来享受相同的机会，或更大的机会，并且我们所占据的环境将像现在一样富有成果。”
当。。。的时候Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition（的一部分Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coalition Network）在2019年与Tiger联系，认为CBC将成为州大众和解资金的好候选人，她一直在考虑通过大众定居点申请替代燃料校车的资金印度部落信托。但是，成为信托基金的受益人，由于某些豁免需要EBCI和部落理事会的批准，因此延长了这一过程。使用国家级别的大众定居点资金北卡罗来纳州环境质量部（DEQ）允许老虎在没有此文书工作的情况下前进。虽然老虎短暂地考虑申请丙烷巴士，但她知道与电动巴士不同，他们仍然会产生尾管排放。
From Owle’s perspective, the decision ultimately came down to the environmental benefits and the job opportunities. Electric buses delivered both.
合作伙伴和倡导者
这Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition，，，，杜克能源and卡罗来纳州托马斯在整个过程中都是关键合作伙伴。在2019年12月的EBCI空气质量计划和CBC的指导下，EBCI空气质量计划和CBC申请了DEQ赠款。这笔资金涵盖了公共汽车和充电器的全部费用，但没有涵盖准备就绪成本，例如实用程序网格互连和充电器之间的必要电基础架构。
尽管这一资金差距可能会使该项目退缩，但CBC的电力公司Duke Energity又加强了，并为第一辆电动校车提供了基础设施。当EBCI和CBC决定申请A时柴油排放减少法（DERA）杜克能源公司（Duke Energy）从EPA获得了另外四辆电动巴士的赠款，使该合作伙伴关系正式。该公用事业公司同意承担四公共汽车和充电器的一部分，以及所有五辆公共汽车的基础设施，以换取该地区的参与车辆到网格（V2G）技术飞行员and the rights to the battery at the end of the bus's useful life.
CBC’s 10-year relationship with Carolina Thomas, a dealer of Thomas Built Buses, has been an important part of the effort. Carolina Thomas has been quick to respond to maintenance needs and has provided three levels of electric vehicle training to its satellite dealers. Through this program, CBC completed the first two levels and will complete the third level once it receives the next five buses (see more below）。通过此培训，CBC现在可以作为更广泛地区的电动巴士知识的资源。
实施状态
电动校车飞行员目前由两个阶段组成，总计六辆公共汽车（见表1）。对于第1阶段，CBC于2021年9月在卡罗来纳州托马斯（Carolina Thomas）下达了第一辆电动校车。由于1922年3月，CBC于1922年3月获得了公共汽车。
对于第2阶段，CBC通过参与公用事业的车辆到网格（V2G）技术而与Duke Energy紧密合作演示和研究，这将证明公交车在需要时将能量分配到网格的能力。2022年冬季将运送五辆电动校车，目前正在进行的CBC的仓库升级将支持15辆电动校车。
对于第3阶段，CBC计划通过EPA的Clean School Bus计划申请14辆电动校车，旨在电气化所有20辆路线巴士。
| Table 1. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Electric School Bus Pilot — Summary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 阶段1 | 阶段2 | ||
| 地位 | 进行 Bus delivered March 2022 |
即将到来 公共汽车预计冬季2022年 |
|
| 公共汽车数量 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 公共汽车类型 | Thomas Built Buses 乔利 类型c |
Thomas Built Buses 乔利 类型c |
Thomas Built Buses 乔利 类型c |
| 价格 | 巴士：$ 360,000 DC Fast Charger: $40,000 |
巴士：$ 341,957 DC快速充电器：$ 89,930（由于V2G功能而导致的价格差异） |
巴士 + DC快速充电器 +安装费用：$ 545,460 |
| 资金获得了 | NC DEQ大众资金：$ 402,810 | EPA DERA Grant: $502,000 杜克能源（Duke Energy）：$ 860,000（每辆巴士 +充电器的215,000美元）；涵盖基础设施（包括第1阶段的需求） |
None |
| Cost share | EBCI负责充电器本身以外的基础设施（后来由杜克能源公司（Duke Energy）在第二阶段的支持涵盖） | EBCI：$ 297,000 CBC：$ 60,000 |
CBC covered the full price of the bus |
1阶段总线范围高达138英里，已分配到35英里的路线。鉴于路线长度，不需要中间充电；CBC专门向公共汽车充电过夜。公共汽车在山区的地形上表现良好，并受益于再生制动器，公交车电池在下坡时可以通过该电池进行范围。
Within the first month of operation, CBC realized immediate fuel savings from the switch from diesel to electric. CBC’s fuel cost per diesel bus is typically between $700 and $900 per month. Fuel costs for the electric bus, on the other hand, were around $400 for the first month of operation. The chargers use APEX software for data tracking, and CBC plans to publish quarterly data reports in the local newspaper to share performance with the broader community.
Greatest Challenges
While leveraging different grant funding opportunities has greatly reduced the upfront cost of the five electric buses and their accompanying chargers and infrastructure, each opportunity has had its own conditions. Unlike the DEQ grant, Duke Energy’s Electric School Bus Charging program requires that school districts use buses and chargers equipped with V2G technology. The first charger CBC ordered for the DEQ grant was not V2G-capable, so CBC then ordered a second Proterra charger with a different internal platform. The two charging systems possess different components and therefore require different conduit materials, which complicated the planning process. Since CBC joined the Duke Energy program after it had already begun site planning in Phase 1, it needed to select and build out an additional site to accommodate the new chargers. CBC ordered both buses and chargers through Carolina Thomas/Proterra’s partnership to ensure they met the program requirements.
关于公交运营，CBC仅遇到一个问题。交货后一周，Owle发现，收费后公共汽车不会上线。卡罗来纳州托马斯（Carolina Thomas）派一个团队通过更改电路板来快速解决该问题。该团队在切诺基（Cherokee）保留了一个星期，以确保该问题已经完全解决。
Advice for Other School Districts
CBC和空气质量计划鼓励有兴趣过渡到电动巴士的其他人与电力公司紧密合作，并从一开始就与社区接触。了解社区的担忧并教育居民有关福利和挑战的教育将有助于计划成功。
With the bus’s arrival, EBCI’s Air Quality Program conducted student learning opportunities about its environmental benefits, starting with teaching a 5Th切诺基小学的年级课。根据老虎的说法Th分级人“喜欢它”，指出它的安静程度，并观察到缺口，因为学生使用手持颗粒物传感器来测量柴油机和电动公交车之间的空气质量差异。配备了新知识，5Th年级学生将信息介绍给了一类幼儿园的学生，然后在奉献仪式上绘制了电动巴士图纸，以给与会者。为学生提供电动校车的实践经验，使下一代能够了解该技术并促进对可持续性的兴趣。
其他资源
- Official Government Website of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
- Cherokee Central Schools’绿色事实页面
- 杜克能源EV School Bus Program
想从电动校车系列中了解更多吗？探索更多故事here。