NAPT and NREL Partner to Produce New Educational Series Called “Electric School Buses: From Zero to Sixty”

• By: admin
• On: 02/16/2021 11:11:49
• In: Regulatory Updates

The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT®) is excited to announce a new partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). 

The organizations are creating a multi-part educational series entitled “Electric School Buses: From Zero to Sixty,” designed to help both school transportation service providers and other K-12 administrators begin transitioning their fleets from diesel fuel, gasoline, and propane to electric power.  The move was spurred by President Biden's “Build Back Better” plan to make all American-made buses zero-emission by 2030.  The plan starts with the U.S. school bus fleet, which would convert within five years.

“This is a significant change for our industry and with it comes a lot of questions”, said NAPT® President Stephen A. Simmons III.  “Partnering with experts in renewable energy and an objective source of information is a great way to provide answers.  We're really excited and looking forward to working with NREL on this project.”

“Electric school buses have become a key consideration for school districts across the country as they work to reduce emissions from their fleets. There are many aspects of transportation electrification to consider when electrifying your school bus fleet”, said John Gonzales, Senior Engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  “Through this series with NAPT®, NREL aims to arm school districts with the information and resources that they need to make educated decisions when considering an electric school bus fleet.”

Electric School Buses: From Zero to Sixty is set to premiere on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 1pm EST, the monthly series is available exclusively on NAPT® ACTS!. The subscription-based service offers professional development webinars and other curated content on school and transportation finance, employee and individual health & wellness, leadership, vehicle and equipment maintenance, current and future technology, safety & security, and transporting students with disabilities and their related special needs. 

NAPT® ACTS! began delivering content to subscribers earlier this year with new content available each week, or always available anytime, on-demand. NAPT® members receive a deeply discounted annual rate that provides access to the entirety of the content. Non-members can purchase monthly packages with the option to convert to an annual subscription if they become NAPT® members. 
 
The program also has social network component, called NAPT® Community, a unique place for school transportation professionals to connect and collaborate to solve problems and share information.  Each of NAPT's® state association partners will soon have a community of their own within the NAPT® Community, where any member of the state organization will be able to access this part of the NAPT® network for free.
“We know the pandemic has been especially challenging for our state association partners and their members”, said NAPT® Executive Director and CEO Mike Martin.  “We excited to be able to help them.” 

Additional information is available via the hyperlinks above.  Questions should be directed to angela.kelly@napt.org or mike.martin@napt.org

About NAPT®:
The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT®) is a diverse community of people and organizations that share a passion for safe and efficient student transportation. We are a non-profit §501(c)(6) organization dedicated to helping our members engage in and influence policy making that will enhance operational safety and administrative efficiency.  In concert with the NAPT® Foundation Inc., our §501(c)(3) nonprofit educational affiliate, and NAPT® Business Intelligence, LLC, our data analytics and consulting subsidiary, we offer school districts and their transportation and transportation-related service providers a variety of communication, leadership, education, advocacy and research services.

About NREL:
At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), we focus on creative answers to today's energy challenges.  From breakthroughs in fundamental science to new clean technologies to integrated energy systems that power our lives, NREL researchers are transforming the way the nation and the world use energy.