Minnesota’s Red Lake School District #38, the only public school district situated within a sovereign tribal nation, has recently added two electric school buses to its transportation fleet. This initiative positions the district as one of the first in the U.S. with a predominantly Indigenous student population (98%) to utilize funding from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which provided $790,000 for the purchase of electric school buses and chargers.
The district serves approximately 1,560 students and incorporates teachings of the Ojibwe language, Ojibwemowin, along with Ojibwe traditions in its curriculum. Superintendent Tim Lutz remarked, “As an educational institution, our priority is to provide learning opportunities for students and community members in as many ways as we can. We do this not only through our curriculum but also by embracing best practices in energy and sustainability while preparing our students for future careers. We’re proud to have acquired these two electric school buses, and we believe they will serve us well.”
The district collaborated with Highland Electric Fleets, a company specializing in Electrification-as-a-Service for school bus fleets across North America, to procure two Blue Bird Type C Vision Electric school buses along with two EV chargers for its bus depot. The Vision Electric buses can be charged within six to eight hours and offer a range of up to 130 miles, equipped with a Cummins PowerDrive 7000 propulsion system and a 155 kWh Li-ion NMC/G cell battery.
Each bus is designed to transport around 50 students, and with the newly installed charging infrastructure, they are expected to have an average daily range of 110 miles following a full midday charge. Together, the two buses are projected to cover approximately 10,000 miles annually.
Duncan McIntyre, CEO and founder of Highland Electric Fleets, noted in a video call, “School bus transportation is hyperlocal, and this project gave us the opportunity to meet Red Lake Nation where they are and help them further their mission of bringing safe, reliable electric school bus service to their community.”