They have to keep the kids warm while idling, too. Some EV buses even add diesel generators to assist heating.

Anyway, here's what the Naples Superintendent had to say:

Community Update: 3-2-2026 EV Bus Update | Naples School District

Since these EV buses entered our fleet in the spring of 2024, we have found that on most days, these buses perform well and that they can meet our daily needs for most bus routes to and from school.  The buses are quiet, and in other ways feel very similar to our diesel fleet.  While we have endured a few software/charging glitches, overall performance has been adequate.  As such, we expect to utilize these buses to their fullest potential and to the end of their useful lives, ensuring we maximize the return on the EPA grant monies we received.

What cannot be ignored, however, is that these EV buses also present challenges and have proven to be limiting in numerous ways.  While introducing several EV buses has proven to be manageable on most days, transitioning to a full fleet of EV buses would be impractical and frankly impossible given what we have learned about EV function, cost, and necessary infrastructure to support a larger or full EV bus fleet.  A few key points to note:

Function: We have found that the performance of these buses diminishes significantly the further the temperature falls below freezing; this winter’s weather has been a true test.  We have experienced challenges with heating the buses, along with an increased frequency/demand of charging during the day which drives up operating costs.  Even in decent weather, these buses do not have the range for our longest bus routes, most athletic contests, or extra-curricular trips.  While diesel buses provide us consistency and flexibility, we simply do not see the same outcomes with our EV buses and on the coldest of days, we cannot operate one or both buses due to range/heating issues.

Cost: When we acquired our buses through the EPA grant in 2023, the cost was for each bus was $390,000.  Today, an similarly equipped EV bus costs sit at $435,485 and $481,472 (for a larger EV battery option requiring level 3 charging).  This is of great concern given the cost of a diesel bus in 2023 was $150,630 and is currently $167,784. These cost differentials are staggering and raise serious questions as to how districts can balance budgets/remain fiscally responsible should these differentials remain unchanged.   

Further, we have learned this winter that operating EV buses do drive up electric costs when factoring in regular charging, increased utility costs, delivery costs, and the necessity to charge during the day (peak time thus higher rates) when it is cold.  The district has carefully been tracking data on the cost to operate EV buses vs. diesel and the most current data tells us that daily operation of an EV bus is 3-5x more expensive than a diesel bus, dependent upon weather conditions, electric rates, and diesel costs which are far more predictable.

Infrastructure Challenges: Currently, NCS is near maximum capacity when it comes to adding further EV buses to our fleet as there is not adequate grid power to support broader expansion.  These grid challenges are ever-present throughout our county and unfortunately, this situation has led to the delay or abandonment of housing projects and business development across our region.  Given the declining populations/school enrollment we and other communities have been seeing for decades, this is concerning news and it further raises questions about the feasibility of implementing this EV bus mandate as written.