Lion Electric (Lion), a leading manufacturer of all electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, today announced that it has secured an order for its all-electric school buses from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). This initial order of 10 LionC school buses, which follows Lion’s recent delivery of all-electric school buses to the Twin Rivers Unified School District in Sacramento, further solidifies Lion’s leadership in zero-emission school buses in California and North America.
“LAUSD is possibly the most well-known school district in the United States, and we are pleased to have been chosen as a key partner in their journey toward zero-emission school bus operations,” said Marc Bedard, CEO and Founder of Lion Electric. “These all electric buses signify the district’s commitment to improving the local environment and the health of its communities, and we are confident that they will meet and exceed the expectations of the operators and students.”
LAUSD is the second largest school district in the United States, serving over 600,000 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade at over 1,000 schools. The district’s boundaries stretch across 720 square miles and include the City of Los Angeles as well as all or parts of 31 municipalities and several unincorporated regions of Southern California.
Lion collaborated closely with the district in order to ensure its buses met the unique requirements posed by its large and diverse footprint. Each LionC bus purchased has a range of 155 miles on a single charge and incorporates an integrated wheelchair lift. Lion will also provide support and training to LAUSD from its recently opened Experience Center in the region, located in Alhambra, California. The buses are expected to be delivered in spring 2021.
The electric buses were funded in part by the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) School Bus Replacement Program, and Lion collaborated closely with LAUSD to add additional options to the base CEC specification to accommodate the unique needs of its routes. Under the program, Lion was awarded five out of the six available categories after extensive evaluations of EV drive system technical specifications, real-world deployments and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) EV capabilities. The CEC ranked Lion not only as the highest performing manufacturer in its technical evaluation,
but also the manufacturer with the most cost-competitive bid.
Over the last decade, Lion has established itself as a leader in the all-electric school bus industry, having delivered over 300 all-electric school buses in North America with over 6 million miles driven since 2016. Lion’s vehicles are distributed and serviced through the company’s network of Experience Centers, including two locations in California along with facilities in New York, Washington, Florida and Arizona.