School Buses

SCHOOL BUSES

CURRENT NEWS

School district saves incredible sum after making one big change to its buses: ‘We took a plunge’

By Jane Donohue 09/21/23
Getting to school will be a little greener for students at Modesto City Schools this year, thanks to the district’s 30 new electric school buses. The fleet is worth $14 million and will allow the…
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Miami-Dade adds 20 new electric school buses to fleet ahead of new school year

By Amanda Plasencia 08/15/23
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is cutting out carbon emissions as they move full speed ahead with a new fleet of electric school buses this school year.
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Wow!: Batteries on wheels – EV school buses shore up US electricity grid

By Carey L Biron 06/30/23
Maryland's Montgomery County already has the largest fleet of electric school buses in the United States, but it also wants to use its vehicles as "batteries on wheels", sending power back to the grid to…
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WRI Releases Comprehensive Electric School Bus Dashboard

By Taylor Ekbatani 06/30/23
Did you know there are currently 1,134 electric school buses (ESBs) on the road today, with a total of 5,986 committed to school districts, tribal governments, and local government agencies? The World Resources Institute does.
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Where Are States in the Shift Toward Electric Vehicles?

By Skip Descant 06/29/23
The state of New York is set to lead the nation on a goal to transition school buses to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV), helping to position the state as the second-highest ranked region for EV adoption.
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French connection: Pemetic gets new electric school bus

By Piper Curtin 06/28/23
Pemetic Elementary School received a special delivery on June 22. At around 8 a.m., a large truck dropped off the school’s new, full-sized electric LionC bus from Lion Electric, its manufacturer in Quebec, Canada. Below…
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Elizabeth Warren wants cities, towns to apply for federal electric school bus grants

By Chris Van Buskirk 06/28/23
Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants Massachusetts cities and towns to apply for federal grants allowing them to replace diesel-operated school buses, public buses, and train engines with their electric-powered counterparts.
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West Virginia Public Schools Anticipating 41 Electric Buses

By Jim Bissett 06/28/23
It's not everyone who actually gets to see his new vehicle being assembled before he sidles into the driver's seat — but that's the bus that stopped last week for Tony Harris. "I'm very impressed,"…
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Company sets out to solve major student health problem caused by classic school buses: ‘An estimated $1 billion over five years’

By Hayleigh Evans 06/27/23
The company behind America’s iconic yellow school buses is paving the way toward a greener commute for students by opening a new facility equipped to build 5,000 electric school buses annually.
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The US government is awarding $1.7 billion to buy electric and low-emission buses

By Josh Boak 06/26/23
The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding almost $1.7 billion in grants for buying zero- and low-emission buses, with the money going to transit projects in 46 states and territories.
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V2G Legislation Looks to School Buses to Help Power Electric Grid

By Taylor Ekbatani 06/22/23
Lawmakers are pushing the potential benefits of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, and several bills federally and at the state level are calling attention to the capabilities.
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OPINION: Why school boards can and must be leaders in tackling climate change

By Carrie Douglass 06/20/23
When I first ran for school board in 2017, I was concerned about climate change personally but honestly didn’t understand what role I could play as a school board member.
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KEY RESOURCES

The Case for Electric School Buses

09/15/23
What first comes to mind when you think about school bus transportation? Perhaps it’s the orange or yellow color, the sound of one passing by your home, or the dot moving on the map on…

School Transportation

05/06/22
With predictable routes and low daily mileage, school buses are perfectly suited for electrification. That’s why Proterra Powered is partnering with school bus manufacturers to electrify their vehicles with industry-leading battery packs, creating a 100%…

Live Green

05/06/22
The Twin Rivers district in North Sacramento is one of the largest school districts in California, and is transitioning to a 100% diesel-free fleet by 2021. They currently have 40 electric school buses provided by…

Why electric school buses?

05/06/22
It’s no secret that electric school buses are built to make tomorrow cleaner, greener and brighter. But they’re also designed with innovations to make todays’ school routes smarter, more efficient—and even safer. The future has…

Upgrade your fleet to electric

05/06/22
We provide the simplest and most affordable way to electrify school bust fleet

Electric school bus

05/06/22
The eLionD was designed, created and manufactured to be 100% electric. Lion’s proven transportation electrification technology and expertise is now translated into an all-electric Type D school bus. The eLionD components require very little maintenance…

Blue Bird

05/06/22
When purchasing a bus, one should consider the total cost it will take to maintain and fuel the vehicle throughout its lifetime. Blue Bird's Vision and All American RE Electric buses cut cost on fuel…

Funding of up to $375,000 available for each lion electric Zero-emission bus under the epa’s $5 billion clean school Bus program

04/28/22
Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) ("Lion" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, today announced that the company is preparing to assist customers in securing funding under the…

Lion Electric Chosen For V2x Collaboration With U.s. Department Of Energy And Industry Leaders To Develop Bidirectional Charging Infrastructure

04/27/22
Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) ("Lion" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty vehicles, has announced that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S.…

The clean school bus program: what the new infrastructure law means for your fleet

04/04/22
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This new law will deliver $550 billion to America’s infrastructure over the next five years, touching everything from bridges and school…

EPA Awards Rebates Totaling $17 Million to Fund Clean School Buses

03/07/22
Today, at an event with Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the winners of two school bus rebate opportunities: the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Electric School Bus Rebates,…

MORE NEWS

Electric School Buses Ready To Roll, Officials Say In East Brunswick

By Sarah Salvadore   06/15/23  
Environmental activists, school administrators and local and state officials gathered at Memorial Elementary School in East Brunswick to talk about the rollout of the $45 million pilot program that is helping school districts replace diesel-powered…
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A rural Georgia school bus company goes big on EVs

By Molly Samuel   06/14/23  
Picture kids heading off to school, an early morning group toting backpacks, sports gear and lunchboxes, waiting by the side of the road as the big yellow school bus pulls up with a roar.
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Mothers & Others for Clean Air push for electric school buses in Georgia

By Hannah E. Jones   06/12/23  
About 26 million students board school buses daily — with the vast majority of fleets running off diesel — and exposure to their fumes has been linked to lower test scores and worse respiratory health…
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What Clean Energy Option Makes the Most Sense?

By Ryan Gray   06/12/23  
Electric school buses are the industry’s shiny red bicycle, and as such the topic commands a lot of attention and money. It’s no coincidence that this month’s coverage is timed with round two of the…
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Lightning eMotors Bets On Government Bucks To Sell Its Electric School Buses

By Ed Garsten   06/06/23  
On a hazy morning on an island in the middle of the Detroit River a reporter sat behind the wheel of a battery electric vehicle, hit the accelerator pedal and promptly powered through a slalom…
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This Iconic American Yellow Bus Company Is Ramping Up Its Electric Bus Production

By Angely Mercado   05/30/23  
Blue Bird, the more than 90-year-old manufacturer of the iconic American yellow school bus, is ramping up its production of electric buses. Last week, the company announced the opening of its new Electric Vehicle (EV)…
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Walla Walla Public Schools to begin using electric school buses

By Morgan Huff   05/24/23  
Walla Walla Public Schools have received the first of three electric school buses in May, making it one of the first school districts in eastern Washington to be using electric school buses in its operating…
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Propane a Key Energy Solution in New Round of Clean School Bus Funding

05/22/23  
In the latest round of Clean School Bus funding announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), school transportation directors once again have the power to take advantage of propane’s clean and reliable benefits through dedicated…
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Here comes the US’s largest self-sustaining renewable bus depot

By Michelle Lewis   05/18/23  
Clean energy trailblazer Montgomery County, Maryland, has announced it’s building what will be the largest self-sustaining, renewable-powered bus depot in the US. The bus depot will be an Energy as a Service microgrid – that…
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In fight for cleaner air, feds target the big yellow school bus

By Drew Kann   05/18/23  
Since taking office in 2021, President Biden has taken an aggressive approach to reduce harmful air pollution by proposing tighter limits on particle pollutants, tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks, and more.
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Federal Funding, School Bus Program Creates Avenues for Cleaner Municipal Transit

By Kelly Aves and Kyle Funk   05/16/23  
Federal funding is available for municipal leaders looking to reduce carbon emissions in public transportation fleets. The transportation sector is the largest emitter of carbon in the U.S. and funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law…
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Lawmakers drive to get more electric school buses on the road

By Tom Johnson   05/16/23  
A $20 million fund to help New Jersey school districts purchase electric school buses to replace diesel-spewing vehicles would be established under a bill approved Monday by a state Senate committee.
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Clean electric school buses are healthier for kids, but there could be a downside for workers

By YCC Team   05/15/23  
Diesel school buses spew dirty tailpipe pollution that harms the climate and kids’ lungs, so there’s a growing push for school districts to switch to clean electric buses. Ian Elder of Jobs to Move America,…
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Phoenix school district prepares to roll out electric buses

By Independent Newsmedia   05/15/23  
A Phoenix school idstrict is partnering with several groups to roll out electric buses for transportation. The Isaac School District along with EDF Action, Moms Clean Air Force, Chispa Arizona, Sierra Club and Defend Our…
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How US school buses are going electric, in four charts

By Jeff St. John   05/15/23  
The single biggest transportation fleet in the U.S. is made up of one iconic vehicle: the school bus. It’s also run almost entirely on carbon-emitting, air-polluting diesel fuel.
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You’re About to See Way More Electric School Buses—Here’s Why

By Sebastian Blanco   05/06/23  
Electric school buses are here. And there. And over there. Last year, 2400 electric school buses were ordered in the U.S., according to the 2023 State of Sustainable Fleets report. That's not a large percentage…
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Los Angeles Unified to make largest electric bus purchase in history as part of green energy goals

By Travis Schlepp   05/02/23  
The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to purchase more than 180 new electric school buses and other electric vehicle infrastructure as part of its ambitious green energy plans.
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Boston kicks off rollout of 750 electric school buses with first of the fleet transporting students

By Scooter Doll   04/24/23  
Boston Public Schools has kicked off an ambitious new program to eventually convert its entire fleet of 750 vehicles to electric. The first Blue Bird Vision electric school buses are now in service, transporting thousands…
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Solar, microgrids and EV buses discussed at first Clean Energy Schools Symposium

By Michael Schoeck   03/30/23  
With school buildings in most U.S. communities, it’s no surprise that school systems are well-positioned to take a leadership role in distributed generation resources, among various clean energy solutions.
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Wisconsin schools adopt electric buses

By YCC Team   03/22/23  
Fifteen school districts in the state were awarded federal funds in the fall of 2022 to purchase electric buses. The post Wisconsin schools adopt electric buses appeared first on Yale Climate Connections. ...
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Availability of Nearly $1.7 Billion to Modernize Fleets and Deploy Clean Transit Buses Across America

01/27/23  
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced the availability of nearly $1.7 billion to support state and local efforts to modernize aging transit fleets with low- and no-emission buses, renovate and…
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Electric school buses are practically free now

By Joann Muller   12/19/22  
Federal and state governments are practically giving away electric school buses, and if your local district doesn't have its hand up yet, it should. The math is a no-brainer.
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NYC secures federal grant to roll out 51 all-electric school buses, Mayor Adams pushes for more

By Chris Sommerfeldt   11/02/22  
New York City’s yellow school buses are going green — or at least some of them. Dozens of all-electric school buses are about to hit city streets thanks to funding from President Biden’s infrastructure package,…
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How to get electric school bus incentives just right

By Lisa Martine Jenkins   10/27/22  
The Biden administration just devoted $1 billion to turbocharging school districts’ efforts to electrify their bus fleets. On Wednesday, the administration rolled out a new federal program to fund clean school buses in what could…
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A profound change is coming to American school buses

By Michael Birnbaum   10/26/22  
A common smell of American childhood, the diesel fumes wafting through yellow school buses, may soon be obsolete, as school districts across the nation turn to electric buses amid falling costs and growing concerns about…
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Oakland tests electric transit buses for resilience in vehicle-to-building pilot

By Robert Walton   10/12/22  
The city of Oakland, California, will be the site of a vehicle-to-building pilot analyzing how zero-emission transit buses can maintain critical loads during emergency conditions, project participants announced Tuesday.
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EPA doubles money for electric school buses as demand soars

By Matthew Daly   09/29/22  
Responding to “overwhelming demand,” the Environmental Protection Agency is nearly doubling the money available to states to buy electric models of the familiar yellow school buses that millions of children ride every school day.
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San Diego Electric School Bus Puts Electricity Into The Grid

By Zachary Shahan   07/31/22  
What’s cooler than an electric school bus? An electric school bus with vehicle-to-grid capability. And that’s what some schools in San Diego, California, now have. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), the Cajon Valley Union…
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Capitol Hill Educational Display of All-Electric School Buses Attracts Members of Congress

06/15/22  
Today, the Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA) partnered with ZETA member GreenPower Motor Company to showcase several electric buses on Capitol Hill. The showcase included a press event that featured Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV),…
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The $150 Billion Road Electric School Buses Can Ride To Create American Jobs And Protect Kids’ Health

By Sarah Spengeman   04/25/22  
Anyone who has gone to school in the United States remembers the smell of diesel exhaust from riding the iconic yellow school bus, but few realize the danger of breathing those fumes. Thankfully, our children…
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Electric school buses are coming to New York within five years

By Barbara O'Brien   04/14/22  
One of the transportation initiatives in the state budget approved by state legislators Saturday will change the way kids get to school in five years. While superintendents are looking at record state aid in the…
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Boston will move to 100% electric school buses by 2030

By Michelle Lewis   04/13/22  
Boston mayor Michelle Wu last week announced that Boston Public Schools will deploy 20 electric buses during the 2022-23 school year in a pilot program. Ultimately, Boston will electrify its entire school bus fleet by…
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New York schools have five years to begin electric bus conversion

By Rachel Silberstein   04/13/22  
Tomorrow's K-12 students will be boarding electric buses to get to school, according to new state law.
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New York State commits to 100% electric school buses by 2035

By Michelle Lewis   04/08/22  
In January, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) said she would propose legislation to shift to 100% electric school buses by 2035. She also said she would propose legislation to require that all new school bus purchases…
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School Transport Goes Electric

By EV Connect   04/06/22  
Since 2010, EV Connect’s path to expand and provide smart electric vehicle charging infrastructure has led them to branch out into numerous industries and sectors. One of EV Connect’s latest collaborations is with the Sunnyvale…
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US school bus maker Blue Bird receives its largest-ever order of electric school buses

By Michelle Lewis   03/29/22  
Macon, Georgia-based bus maker Blue Bird Corporation (Nasdaq: BLBD) has received the single largest order of electric school buses from a school district in its history.
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Electric school bus safety: How Jouley and Proterra are leading the charge.

03/28/22  
If you’re considering electric school buses, you probably have a few questions. At Thomas Built, we’re ready to help. Here are a few key things to know about how the Saf-T-Liner® C2 Jouley® and our…
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US schools can subscribe to an electric school bus fleet at prices that beat diesel

By Jeff St. John   03/18/22  
Electric school buses are a hot commodity. Billions of dollars of federal and state grants and incentives are flowing to U.S. school districts to help them electrify their fleets. By replacing diesel buses with clean…
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Electric school bus advocates say it’s time for state to invest

By Spencer Conlin   03/17/22  
The recent sharp and abrupt spike in per-gallon costs for gasoline is increasing interest in electric vehicles. Furthermore, advocates say there are other reasons New York should consider making the switch.
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What If Electric School Buses Could be Used to Supply Power When Off Duty?

03/17/22  
The Big Yellow School Bus first entered the U.S. transportation scene in 1939 and has since become an iconic symbol of American life. We sing about them in nursery rhymes and wait for them with…
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Electric School Buses And The Grid

03/15/22  
Currently, fewer than 1% of the nation’s school buses are powered by electricity, but with advances in electric bus technology, growing understanding of the benefits of electrification, and now a fresh influx of federal money…
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3 design considerations for electric school bus vehicle-to-grid programs

By Norma Hutchinson and Gregg Kresge   03/14/22  
U.S. electric utilities are poised to be a key part of the momentum to shift American school buses from diesel fuel to electricity. Federal and state-level investments, along with other funding and financing opportunities, promise…
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Electric school buses benefit both the climate and students’ health

By April Miller   03/02/22  
Electric school buses are finally rolling out and are directly impacting the air quality children breathe each day. Recently, there have been several announcements regarding EV school buses. Some of these include studies backing their…
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Curbing Climate Change Should Include Electric School Buses

By Brett Berk   02/28/22  
School buses driving on their routes achieve about six miles per gallon, making them among the least efficient vehicles on the road. This inefficiency is a function of their short and congested routes, their consistent…
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The Big Deal About NYC’s First Electric School Buses Being Diesel Repowers

By Joseph Wachunas   01/07/22  
New York City has committed to going all-electric with its school buses by 2035. The first electric school buses are hitting the city’s streets now and they are pioneering a new model for transitioning their…
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Having An Electric School Bus Fleet Is Easier Than Many People Think

By Sonia Mastros   01/04/22  
If your district is thinking about adding electric vehicles (EVs) to your school bus fleet, don't let outdated fears hold you back! Electric buses have come a long way in the last decade, from being…
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Lion Electric receives conditional PO for 1,000 electric school buses, the largest fleet in North America

By Scooter Doll   10/25/21  
Medium and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer Lion Electric Co. recently announced a conditional purchase order from Student Transportation of Canada (STC) for 1,000 of its all-electric Lion C school buses. The PO is dependent upon a…
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Boston mayoral candidate Wu calls for converting school buses to electric power

By Maysoon Khan   09/19/21  
Boston mayoral candidate and city councilor Michelle Wu said Sunday that fighting climate change would be a priority for her, calling for measures to convert the city’s school bus fleet to electric power.
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Electric school bus investments could drive US vehicle electrification

By Dan Lashof   09/01/21  
Transitioning to electric vehicles is critical to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change and clog our skies with toxic pollution. Investing in electric vehicle infrastructure and technologies will also be essential to make the…
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Making Yellow School Buses a Little More Green

By Ellen Rosen   08/27/21  
Some school districts are replacing diesel buses with electric models to benefit students and the environment. But the change is expensive so utilities like Dominion Energy are helping offset the cost.
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