Daimler Rolls Out an All-Electric School Bus in the U.S.
From the Green Hell to not so mellow yellow
Ed TahaneyWriter
Remember your first day of school waiting for the bus? The sight of a bright yellow beast spewing exhaust fumes and your new classmates screaming and fighting over seats—didn't it suck?
Well, now it's about to suck a little less, thanks to Daimler's North American subsidiary, Thomas Built Buses. Kids, say hello to the Saf-T-Liner C2 Electric Concept Bus—or Jouley for short.
Daimlerclaims it's the first of its kind and starting in 2019, it will haul "up to 81 kids all over America to school—safely, quietly, and emission free."
Jouley packs a 160-kWh battery and has a range of 99 miles, so we are not sure about the "all over America" part, but additional battery packs are optional and we are told can provide a longer range.
"The customers are really excited about it. We snuck up on our competition and they didn't see this coming," said Caley Edgerly, Thomas Built Buses President and CEO, on Facebook.
"I've had the pleasure to drive it—it's super smooth. It's going to allow us to developfuture electric vehicles.
The concept bus has no engine or tailpipe, just USB ports to charge phones and laptops.
Since 1916, Thomas Built Buses has been working hard to keep kids off the street and in schools where they belong.
Well, at least until they get their first driver's license and join all the cool kids with their own set of hot wheels.
