Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

California School District to Install Charging Stations

  • By Matt Jones
  • 02/25/21

The Porterville Unified School District (PUSD), located in Tulare County, California, recently placed an order for six new electric school buses. During its Board of Education meeting on Jan. 28, the district also approved plans to install six new electric charging stations.

Set to be ready by August, the ABB Terra 54 fast charging stations will be placed at a bus yard near Porterville High School. The product’s website boasts that the average charging time for a vehicle runs between 15 and 30 minutes. The district is partnering with Southern California Edison (SCE) for the installation process.

School bus

PUSD officials have expressed that their longer-term goal is to transition the entire school bus fleet to electric models. Plans are already in the works to order four more electric buses during the next decade. The move is part of a larger PUSD initiative to reduce its power costs and utility bills by taking advantage of renewable energy sources and solar panels.

According to PUSD public information officer Jason Pommier, “That’s definitely one of the things we want to do, similar to the city, reducing the carbon footprint and moving away from some of the diesel buses. We’re always looking at ways where we can reduce costs, save money and utilize it for the students.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Florida District Completes Construction on New Leadership Institute

    Pinellas County Schools near Tampa, Fla., recently announced that construction is complete on the new Dr. Michael A. Grego Leadership Institute, according to a news release. The district partnered with Rowe Architects for the project’s design and with Skanska for construction services.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.