On October 15, the San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD) unveiled its district-wide fleet electrification project.
The district’s fleet of 84 school buses has been transformed with new 33 electric buses (eBuses). The new transportation center includes a microgrid for backup power, 40 eBus charging stations, infrastructure for an additional 35 future charging stations, onsite solar power generation, battery energy storage, and microgrid controls.
“These electric buses and our charging infrastructure is going to help alleviate traffic within our schools and around our community…lower greenhouse emissions, they’re quieter,” Mike Sawyer, Executive Director of Transportation at San Marcos Unified School District, told North County Informador.
He added, “The more eBuses you have on the road, the bigger impact there is to air quality.”
Other new infrastructure includes interior and exterior LED lighting upgrades at 19 sites and one sports complex, solar installations totaling 8,000 kWh across three locations, battery energy storage systems at two sites, and comprehensive HVAC upgrades at the North County Regional Education Center.
