WILLIAMSFIELD, Ill. — On Friday, Williamsfield Schools received a fleet of zero-emissions school buses to improve air quality and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The buses were manufactured at the Lion Electric facility in Joliet and will use solar power and chargers from NUVVE. The launch of six new buses was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Renew America's Schools Program, which gave nearly $15 million to a coalition of school districts across Illinois.
Williamsfield Superintendent Tim Farquer said the school buses could assist surrounding communities as mobile energy providers in the event of an emergency or disaster at the ribbon cutting.
"These new electric buses clean the air our students and drivers breathe on the way to and from school each day," Farquer said in a press release. "When construction of our campus microgrid is complete, these buses will provide energy to our building and be able to support the local grid as needed."