Blue Bird Energy Services Portal

Blue Bird Energy Services Portal

Welcome to the Blue Bird Energy Services Portal providing you with electric school bus charging solutions through a partnership with InCharge Energy. InCharge is the industry leading developer of commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging systems, providing solutions tailored to school bus fleets. With end to end, turn-key EV infrastructure design and development, Blue Bird Energy Services accelerates electrification of the student transportation industry with sustainable and scalable solutions.

Electrification Where it Matters.

Learn more about a tailored solution for your school bus fleet.

What Does the EV Infrastructure Process Look Like?

packages

Blue Bird Approved Options for Hardware

Option 1

  • ICE 80AC 19.2kW AC Charger
  • Max Current Output: 80A @240Vac
  • Cable Options: SAE J1772 Connector
  • Good charging solution for mild climates

Option 2

  • ICE 30 30kW DC Fast Charger
  • Dual port to connect and charge two vehicles in series or for connector redundancy
  • Optional pedestal
  • Perfect for cold weather charging

Option 3

  • ICE 60 / ICE 120 – 60kW Fast Charger, 120kW Fast Charger
  • Dual port to connect and charge two vehicles simultaneously
  • Works great for quick top off or intra-day charging of buses

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What EV charging equipment do I need for my school district?

Blue Bird Energy Services has chosen a combination of AC and DC charging equipment for your school bus fleet. Blue Bird, with their footprint, has negotiated favorable prices on several pieces of EV charging equipment particularly suitable for fleets. These include the ICE-80A AC Level 2 EVSE rated at 19.2kW. Also on the list are the ABB Terra 24 DC Wallbox (DCWB) as well as the ICE-30 DCWB. For use-cases that include intraday charging, we are offering the ICE-60 and ICE-120 DC Fast Chargers (DCFC). Both come with dual cables and can charge two buses simultaneously, splitting either 60kW or 120kW between the two connectors.

Why is a site walk necessary?

All school bus lots are different in the way that the buses are parked and used. Infrastructure is typically sized to match the type of bus and battery size, which impacts range and charge time. On top of that, every location has a different electrical power capacity and voltage. Most charging stations require 480Vac 3-phase power, where many locations do not have that voltage available. Blue Bird Energy Services Energy can expertly determine what equipment is recommended and how much electrical capacity is required at each bus lot, including the consideration for future proofing. In order to do this properly, a site walk is necessary.

How long does it take to receive my quotation after my site walk?

The average time to receive your quotation is under three weeks.

Why is a full installation recommended?

Although not required, a full installation means that our team will handle every step of the installation process: engineering, permitting, construction, installation, and final commissioning We have experience installing EV charging equipment at thousands of customer locations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and beyond. By selecting Blue Bird Energy Services for all your infrastructure needs, we ensure that the equipment will work whether there’s an issue with the equipment, software or the electrical infrastructure.

Why do you need a year’s worth of electricity bills?

When the certified electrician visits your facility, they will look at your electrical service panel to see what capacity you have available to you for charging. But that’s only part of the equation. If your peak electrical bills show that you are only using a portion of your dedicated capacity as indicated by your circuit breaker ratings, then you might be able to accommodate more infrastructure without upgrading your service. Because different regions use more electricity at different times of the year (winter or summer, for example), it is important that we see the entire year’s peak usage for the meter your EV charging equipment will be connected to.

What is the difference between a full turnkey installation and a final bolt down?

We focus on fleet applications where a full-service offering is valued. We take care of determining the appropriate charging hardware and schedule for your fleet, site engineering, permitting, construction, sales of hardware and software, commissioning, extended warranties and both preventative and reactive maintenance of your charging hardware. However, in the cases where you already have your own electrician or construction crew, we can simply sell you the hardware, software, and do the final bolt down of equipment, wiring and commissioning. Please let us know if you have a preference to use your own electrician.

Can I use my own electrician?

Many times, a school district prefers to work with their own electrical contractor or has a crew to do this work. In these cases, we allow the school district or transportation company to follow prescribed requirements for the placement of the charging equipment and self-contracted electrical infrastructure that meets the National Electrical Code (NEC). We will verify that the infrastructure was installed correctly through a review of the permit package and photographs, among other things. Once this review is completed, we will ship the dealer the charging equipment and send technicians to your facility to do the ‘final bolt down’, the necessary electrical connections and equipment commissioning, testing, and final permit closeout.

What is the standard warranty on the EV charging equipment and what are the extras?

Typically, EV charging equipment comes standard with a two-year parts warranty. Many times, your quotation will include an extended warranty to five years as many incentive programs require it. Also, your quotation will include five years of software service for the same reason, plus it is a great management tool for charging your fleet and keeping it maintained. Other ‘extras’ may include connectivity of your hardware to cell service, which enables your software to operate on the hardware. Items such as preventative maintenance or reactive maintenance are plans that keep your system uptime maximized. For other questions on your quotation, please contact your representative or connect with a specialist below.

About InCharge

InCharge Energy, an EV infrastructure leader, brings innovative solutions to electrification. In-Charge was formed with the leadership and support of industry leaders who have over one hundred years of combined electric vehicle and charging experience, having deployed more than 20,000 charging stations. The world leader in eMobility, ABB, made a majority stake investment in InCharge in January of 2022. Our seasoned team has experience working with utilities, fleet management, OEMs, engineering and more. We provide scalable, turnkey, end-to-end commercial energy and infrastructure solutions, including planning, engineering, financing, installation, operations, and maintenance.

We offer a broad portfolio of charging stations including a variety of L2 and DCFCs, reliable manufacturing partners, preferred pricing, and certified EVSE installation kits. InCharge also offers its own proprietary end-to-end charger management platform designed expressly for fleet and charging application: InControl Software. InControl manages charging stations access control, usage data, remote management, and network operations. Our software provides load management to reduce fleet total cost of operations (TCO) and peak energy demand. InControl is built for fleets with security and reliability paramount as well as designed for scalability of fleets, facilities,
and vehicles.

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Learn more about a tailored solution for your school bus fleet.