GW Expert Available: Biden Admin. Announces $1B Investment to Turn Yellow School Buses Green

Newswise — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday nearly $1 billion in grants for school districts to replace diesel buses with cleaner versions, including electric and low emissions buses, according to The Washington Post. The investment aims to protect children from air pollution and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

John Helveston is an assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering at the George Washington University. Helveston is interested in understanding the factors that shape technological change, with a particular focus on transitioning to more sustainable and energy-saving technologies. Within this broader category, he studies consumer preferences and market demand for new technologies as well as relationships between innovation, industry structure, and technology policy. He has explored these themes in the context of China’s rapidly developing electric vehicle industry. 

Helveston recently published research on electric vehicle (EV) mileage in the journal Joule. In one of the largest studies to date, Helveston and his co-authors found the current generation of EV owners drive far fewer miles than owners of gas vehicles, translating to lower emissions savings from EVs. As he discussed in an op-ed published in Scientific American, Helveston says used car buyers could turn this trend around.

Helveston says another way to seriously consider tackling greenhouse gas emissions through EV use is for decision makers to consider electrifying the drivers with the most miles, like taxi fleets and in this case, school buses.

"Electrifying school buses is a great idea because they put on a lot of miles every year, and electrifying those miles will be a lot cleaner than diesel miles,” Helveston says. “They also have a duty cycle that is much better suited to an electric powertrain; a lot of energy can be saved through regenerative braking, which recharges the battery during the frequent stops. "

If you would like to speak with Prof. Helveston, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].