人生一定要有的八個朋友：
推手(Builder)、
支柱(Champion)、
同好(Collaborator)、
夥伴(Companion)、
中介(Connector)、
開心果(Energizer)、
開路者(Mind Opener)、
導師(Navigator)。
chutze@bostonorange.com
*******************
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MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES
PROGRESS TOWARD ELECTRIFYING CITY VEHICLE FLEET
BPS to purchase
twenty electric school buses in pilot program to launch fleet
electrification; Central Fleet Management to train BPS students and City
fleet managers in electric vehicle maintenance
BOSTON - Wednesday, April 6, 2022 - Mayor
Michelle Wu today announced major strides toward electrifying the City’s
vehicle fleet as part of a Green New Deal for Boston. The Mayor shared that
Boston Public Schools (BPS) will be launching an electric school bus pilot
program, deploying 20 buses during the 2022-2023 school year. These
electric buses will replace existing diesel buses. This initial procurement
is the first step toward full electrification of the school bus fleet by
2030. Mayor Wu also recommitted to growing Boston’s green jobs workforce by
launching the electric vehicle (EV) “train the trainer” program, a
partnership between the Public Works Department and Madison Park Technical
Vocational High School. This program will enable the City’s Central Fleet
Management team to train students and City fleet managers in electric
vehicle maintenance through Madison Park’s Automotive Technology Program.
These announcements build off the Wu administration’s commitment to
building a Green New Deal City and previous
announcements to
reduce vehicle emissions in Boston.
“Climate justice is racial and economic
justice. And this moment requires an urgent, all hands on deck approach
from every level of government to reduce emissions and boost the health,
safety, and opportunity of our communities,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.
“Not only are we working to electrify our school buses and municipal fleet
for cleaner air throughout our neighborhoods, but these workforce
development pipelines connected to electric vehicles will help support
career pathways into the green economy.”
Boston Public Schools and the City of
Boston’s Environment Department are working to reduce vehicle emissions by
electrifying the City’s yellow school bus fleet, converting diesel school
buses to electric vehicles, with the goal of full electrification by 2030.
As a first step, BPS will launch an electric school bus pilot program with
an initial procurement of 20 buses, using BPS’s operating budget and funds
from the American Rescue Plan Act, with the goal of deploying within the
next 8 to 10 months. Longer term, BPS will work to replace additional big
buses each year, and then move to replacing smaller buses until the entire
fleet is electrified.
Later this month, BPS will also launch a
request for information (RFI), seeking input from a wide range of
stakeholders on electrification strategies, existing initiatives in other
cities, and exploring potential solutions to local challenges to electrification.
This RFI will provide the City with information on what local private
businesses, supply chain experts, and electric school bus and charging
providers may have an interest in partnering.
BPS currently has 739 buses, which
constitute 11 percent of the City’s municipal emissions. Since 2016, BPS
has been working to replace diesel buses with buses that run on liquid
propane, an interim solution to reduce emissions and costs. Propane bus
technology offers lower air pollution than diesel buses, and transitioning
from diesel to propane has provided opportunities to navigate fleet
management for vehicles that have limited re-fueling points, priming BPS's
ability to work with electric school buses that may have range limitations
that affect route assignments. Electrification will eliminate tailpipe
emissions, address air quality and noise concerns around school pick-up and
drop-off, offer a healthier work environment for bus drivers and monitors,
and potentially offer cost savings over the entire bus life cycle.
As the City expands its electric vehicle
fleet, the administration is also working with BPS to train the next
generation of green economy workers through a new “train the trainer”
electric vehicle maintenance program at Madison Park Technical Vocational
High School. Beginning this May, the Public Works Department’s Central
Fleet Maintenance (CFM) Division will begin the first-ever “train the
trainer” class for fleet mechanics from Public Works, Boston Police and
Boston Public Schools on how to safely service and repair EVs, adding new
EV educational capacity to Madison Park’s Automotive Technology program.
Graduates of the program will be certified to teach the proper and safest
way to repair and maintain EVs to students. The program will be offered to
City fleet mechanics, seniors in the automotive program at Madison Park,
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology students, and adult learners
through the Career Technical Institute program at Madison Park.
“I am excited to see this policy come to life
and am grateful for the partnership with the City to take these critical
steps to upgrading our school bus fleet,” said Boston Public
Schools Superintendent. Dr. Brenda Cassellius. “I am even more excited
that our students at Madison Park are so integral to this new initiative
and will have the opportunity to learn skills and make connections that
will support them as they pursue careers. Thank you Mayor Wu and the entire
team at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology for this wonderful
opportunity to electrify our school buses and create pathways for our
students.”
“The Public Works Department has always
placed a strong emphasis on continuing education and training for our fleet
mechanics and interns enrolled in the Madison Park Automotive program,” stated Director
of Fleet Maintenance, Bill Coughlin. “We know that electric vehicles
are here to stay, and by training future generations how to repair and
service EV’s, we’re equipping them with a skill-set to acquire good paying
jobs in the automotive marketplace.”
Beginning in the fall, electric vehicle
maintenance will be added as part of the core curriculum for students
participating in the Madison Park Automotive Technology program. Madison
Park and the Public Works Department have had a longstanding partnership
that goes back almost a decade, with CFM providing co-op opportunities for
students and professional development opportunities to staff and serving on
the Automotive Technology program advisory board. Many alumni of the
Madison Park Automotive program have gone on to careers as mechanics with
the Public Works Department.
The City has been making progress on its
commitment to installing EV charging
stations throughout
Boston’s neighborhoods for both municipal use and for residents. The City
currently has 66 active EV charging plugs. In December 2021, Mayor Wu
announced that more than
15 additional charging plugs are planned for installation in 2022 and early
2023.
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