I introduced Assembly Bill A.2005, which authorizes school districts to submit a waiver to the commissioner of education allowing them to officially opt out of certain zero-emission school bus requirements being implemented statewide. There are 700-plus school districts in New York state that will be required to start purchasing zero-emission school buses by July 1, 2027, and the transition to zero-emission buses is not achievable for many.

Other states in the U.S. have also begun to implement mandates to transition to all-electric school buses. Washington now requires 100% of new school bus purchases to be zero-emission once the total cost of ownership is the same or less than diesel, Connecticut requires all school buses to be electric by 2040 and California requires 100% electric school bus purchases by 2035, with an extension to 2040 for school districts in rural communities.

Although school leaders nationwide understand the goals of the transition to all zero-emission school buses, there are three factors we cannot ignore when complying with the requirements of the transition: the financial implications, the infrastructure upgrades and the safety concerns involved could pose significant challenges to school districts nationwide. These issues also highlight challenges the commercial trucking industry and others could face further down the road.

Currently, zero-emission school buses cost two to four times more than traditional buses. In fact, the cost for all school districts in New York state to purchase new zero-emission school buses would be between $8 billion and $15.25 billion, without infrastructure upgrades. The infrastructure upgrades needed to increase the electrical capacity of school districts to charge all-electric buses will only exacerbate cost issues. These costs will eat away at school district budgets, forcing schools to cut educational opportunities and increase taxes. The reliability of all-electric buses will also vary depending on electrical capacity, weather patterns and geography. Buses with routes through areas with high snowfall or mountainous roads will face significant challenges, posing a threat to the safety of the students on board.

Taking these cost, infrastructure and safety concerns into account for school buses, implementing similar zero-emission requirements for commercial trucks and other vehicles could pose even greater challenges. Businesses that utilize commercial trucks are already concerned the switch to all-electric will not work due to limited driving range, lack of sufficient charging infrastructure, high initial costs compared to diesel trucks and the need for significant infrastructure investments to support charging at truck depots. These issues will impact operational efficiency and profitability for trucking companies on a national scale—if we are already seeing issues pop up state by state for all-electric school buses, how can we expect commercial vehicles to follow suit?

It is time for the federal government to step in and put an end to the complex and unrealistic switch to all-electric vehicles. School districts, parents, local businesses, emergency responders and trucking industries alike are all raising very serious concerns that cannot be ignored. Until the technology is there, we must hold off on the nationwide switch to zero-emission vehicles to keep costs down and keep everyone safe on the road.