The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is about to receive some all-electric school buses after Lion Electric announced an order to produce 10 LionC buses for the district. An order that will surely help establish the Quebec-based electric urban vehicle manufacturer as a leader in electric school buses in North America.
Lion Electric has delivered over 300 all-electric school buses in North America since 2016, in its journey to hopefully becoming a leader in the all-electric school bus industry. Lion recently received an order to produce 10 all-electric vehicles for Amazon as well.
Even more recently Lion Electric announced a merger with Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. ($NGA), a publicly-traded SPAC focused on sustainability.
According to the press release from Lion Electric, Twin Rivers Unified School District in Sacramento recently received a delivery of electric school buses from Lion, making the LAUSD the second California districts to place an order for electric school buses with the automaker.
The LAUSD is currently the second-largest school district in the United States. Marc Bedard, Lion Electric Founder and CEO, said about the order: “LAUSD is possibly the most well-known school district in the United States, and we are pleased to have been chosen as a key partner in their journey toward zero-emission school bus operations. These all-electric buses signify the district’s commitment to improving the local environment and the health of its communities, and we are confident that they will meet and exceed the expectations of the operators and students.”
The LionC bus comes with a range of 155 miles on a single charge. It can seat up to 77 passengers, has a top speed of 65 mph, 335 hp, and can produce 1,800 ft-lb of torque using its 210 kWh battery capacity. It is capable of level 2 charging and can charge in 2.5 to 4.25 hours with 50 kW. The LionC bus is also wheelchair accessible as Lion Electric has integrated a wheelchair lift on each bus.
The press release also states that Lion Electric is working closely with the LAUSD and the California Energy Commission (CEC) to ensure that its buses meet certain requirements posed by the grid of the city. With the overpopulation and congestion seen at essentially all times in the city of Los Angeles, the base CEC specifications require solutions to accommodate the needs of LA’s busy roads.
Partial funds for the custom LionC buses come directly from the CEC and its School Bus Replacement Program. Lion was awarded five out of the six possible categories. The CEC ranked Lion Electric as the highest performing manufacturer in its technical evaluation in addition to the most cost-competitive bid which if it hadn’t already, has now definitely solidified the automaker’s place in the industry.