One school bus manufacturer received a massive grant to continue its pursuit of electric vehicles.
On Thursday, Georgia Rep. Sanford Bishop announced that the Blue Bird Corporation would receive a nearly $80 million grant through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, according to a press release.
The U.S. Department of Energy is giving out $1.7 billion to support the conversion of 11 auto manufacturing and assembly facilities that are shut down or those that are at-risk of shutting down.
Georgia, alongside seven other states — Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia — will receive a portion of the $1.7 billion.The grant will help fund about 50% of a project to convert a shut down and demolished Internal Combustion Engine motorhome manufacturing facility into a 600,000 square foot electric school bus manufacturing facility.
“Today’s announcement is a major investment in Georgia manufacturing that will support hundreds of good-paying jobs, maintain our state’s leadership in the world-wide electric vehicle industry, and help build clean buses that are in high demand by schools across the country,” Bishop said.
Bishop added in the release that the electric buses will save school districts $2,000 in fuel costs and $4,400 in maintenance costs each year. He also said that these buses are healthier for students, helping them avoid exposure to “concentrated levels of air pollution” to and from school.
Recently, Blue Bird announced a milestone in their electric bus manufacturing program. According to the release, the Corporation reported that they delivered their 2000th electric bus this week. Additionally, it noted that they’ve had over 500 electric buses ordered from dozens of school districts across the United States thanks to the Clean School Bus Program.
“We are delighted that the U.S. Department of Energy considers our conversion project worthy of support,” Blue Bird Corporation CEO Phil Horlock said. “The potential grant could enable Blue Bird to reinvest in middle Georgia, building on a site that previously manufactured high-end motorhomes that are treasured to this day. It will also enable Blue Bird to expand our workforce and invest in a community that is integral to Blue Bird’s history. We are looking forward to fully participating in the next phase of the negotiation process.”
Bishop noted that the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law in 2022, is the primary reason why this grant was given out. He added how the act lowered the cost for insulin and helped small businesses make investments in solar power and “energy efficiency projects.”
“Today, we are seeing yet another way in which it is making a real difference right here in Georgia,” Bishop said.
