Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire New Electric Vehicles Saving Havre Montana Residents Big $'s

Show us some pics.

Regenerative drive motors.

Propane, diesel.

It is called regenerative braking and is very efficient.

Since 1985 until one year ago when I retired, I have been driving and supervising those who are driving electric fork trucks. Regenerative braking definitely saves the brake pads and does extend battery life.

But the guy who wrote this: has not a clue. The motor does become a generator, but nothing "runs backward".

They use VEVOR diesel heaters.

Uh yeah, those moneys could have as well gone into the general fund.

This reminds me of a discussion a few years ago with my supervisor at work who also was mayor of the small town (POP 3000) where the factory was located.

The city needed to do some sewer repair on the last street on the North end of town. The street was slums on the S side and farm fields on the N side with very limited traffic.

Still, we watched as the street was torn up, sewer lines replaced, new sidewalks installed on both sides, a forty foot lane built in each direction with sixteen feet reserved in the middle for curbed plantings. But then the city discovered they had no water rights available to irrigate those plantings, so the curbs were filled with 8 inch plus river rocks. Which of course must be sprayed intermittently to control weeds.

One day I mentioned to the Mayor what a waste of money it had all been. "Oh we did not pay for it. We got a federal grant!"

He did not smile when I replied that was still tax dollars, and I personally did not like seeing them wasted in such manner.


People do spend other people's money quite frivolously. Without 85% federal funding, you would not find an electric school bus in America.

Right on, Shooter.

Amen brother, I was an elected official of my previous HOA and some school teacher twit said we can get a grant to pay for that.... I laughed and said there is no free money... the twit said , yes the money is free... I replied , I am a small business owner and the IRS treats me like an ATM machine, somebody pays.... she was confused by my answer... lmao

You have no idea unless you have worked for the state of Louisiana. And the Republican administrations were the worst, believe it or not. As someone once said "another man's money is easy to spend''.

TRUTH!

Or any school bus.


Sheesh.

Unless you want you kids riding on a 78 Bluebird.

Do you understand the term "fungible"?

What it appears the simpletons can't quit grasp is these electric buses and the like are the ONLY things these funds are allowed to be spent on.

Volkswagen, a German car manufacturer, paid billions in EPA fines.

There were court ordered requirements as to how the funds from these fines could be spent.

One requirement of the settlement was that VW must create a National Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Investment Plan and spend $2 billion on ZEV infrastructure and programs and brand neutral media activities aimed at increasing public awareness of zero emission vehicles. The amount will be divided between California ($800 million) and the rest of the U.S. ($1.2 billion).

This 2 billion $'s was only a small portion of the Volkswagen/EPA settlement.

I know, I know this requires reading and paying attention to MORE than your favorite talking head on TV, life's not always fair.

So sumbuddy up there along the highline in Havre Montana was payin' attention and saw the portion of these ZEV funds allocated for Montana just layin' there like a sitting duck in a trust fund growing mold.

So, obviously the idea of applying for this FREE TO THE TAXPAYERS MONEY to buy a couple zero emissions school buses for their podunk little Montana Town came to mind.

So apply they did and electric buses they got.

How long would it take an intelligent Congress to change the law, and move those funds into the general fund?

They did it to Social Security.

It is an agenda driven policy, and it is just a small sample of such which is bankrupting the nation. But nothing compared to the sewer funneling into Ukraine.

The DEQ is practically begging MT schools to take the $375,000 per bus, up to two buses. As far as I know, Havre is the only school that has bit. Somehow I doubt that these electric outfits would hold up to an 80 mile, round trip, route on the nastiest gumbo roads in Montana. It's either choking dust, wet gumbo, icy, snowy, or some combination. That electric bus would be toast before a year was out.

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January 20, 2023
Bigfork Schools are taking advantage of a grant which aims to help districts move towards clean energy buses.

The Bigfork School Board on Jan. 11 unanimously approved the purchase of an electric bus. The district was awarded $375,000 for an electric bus in 2022 through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program.

Transportation Director Danny Walker said after researching a few different electric bus companies, he recommended purchasing a 71-passenger bus from Lion Electric. The cost of the bus matches the grant they received and the charging infrastructure would cost $20,370. Walker said the EPA program would cover $20,000 of the cost of the charging infrastructure, leaving the district with an out-of-pocket cost of $370.

Walker said a requirement to receive the grant is to take one of the diesel buses entirely off the road. The district selected a 2010 Bluebird bus with 105,000 miles on it to be removed from its fleet.

“It goes to Treasure State (metal recycling) where they cut the frame in half, show documentation that is disabled and they punch a hole in the block … Then it will probably go into the junkyard across the street from them for parts,” Walker said.

Walker estimates the district should be receiving the bus this summer. The bus is expected to include an extended stop arm, cameras, seat belts and Onspot chains.

Superintendent Tom Stack said Walker visited Havre School District, which recently purchased two of the same buses which ran well during December’s cold snap.



“They ran them when it was super cold for Christmas. It was minus 42 over there without a wind chill, they ran great — no issues,” Walker said.

Stack made this comparison to diesel buses, which can experience issues during frigid temperatures.

Board trustee Christina Relyea asked why he preferred Lion over International, another electric bus company with the same price point.

He said it came down to the build and the batteries — Lion started out producing electric buses, while International built diesel buses and is now converting them into electric.

For International, batteries are covered under an eight-year warranty but cost $100,000. Lion batteries cost $30,000.

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This is really a win win for these savvy schools that buy these awesome new electric buses.

They get to pick out and keep the buses they are required under the grant to take out of commission and use them for parts to service their fleets..

Its like hitting the daily double, the tax payers in another poor rural Mountaina community win again!

Interesting vid. Go to 8:00 if you don't want to listen to the "boomer".
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Oct 26, 2022
HELENA, Mont. - Three school districts in Montana are receiving funding for zero-emission electric buses.

Elementary schools in Bigfork, Clinton and Fairfield are receiving funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program rebate competition.

Bigfork Elementary school will receive $2,765,000 for seven buses, Clinton Elementary School will receive $790,000 for two buses and Fairfield Elementary School will receive $395,000 for one bus.

A release from the EPA says 389 applications totaling $913 million have been selected.

Additional rounds of program funding are anticipated to launch in the coming months, and the EPA plans on making another $1 billion available for clean school buses in Fiscal Year 2023.