Collins Bus, a Rev Group subsidiary that manufactures Type A school buses, created a strategic partnership with Lightning eMotors. The agreement will enable the companies to manufacture and deploy zero-emission, all-electric Type A school buses.
Collins Bus deployed more than 70,000 buses the past 50 years across the United States and Canada.
“School districts across the U.S. and Canada are eager to introduce zero-emission electric buses,” said Brian Perry, president, REV Commercial Segment. “In addition to being clean, green, and sustainable, electric school buses are quiet, efficient, and much less expensive to maintain. We are pleased to be working with Lightning eMotors to provide districts with the all-electric buses their students, drivers, and communities want.”
The all-electric Type A school buses each will have a gross vehicle weight of 14,500 pounds. The buses will feature state-of-the-art NMC batteries using industry-leading battery thermal management and safety systems.
Buses will support Level 2 AC charging and Level 3 DC fast charging. Other features will include a modern digital-dash display, hill-hold functionality for safety, advanced telematics, analytics and a mobile app for drivers and fleet managers.
“Collins has decades of bus manufacturing experience and is a long-standing leader in Class A school buses, with a well-established and loyal dealer network and customer base,” said Tim Reeser, CEO of Lightning eMotors. “We are thrilled that they have selected us to be their EV technology partner. Together, we are ready to bring zero-emission school buses to a neighborhood near you.”
The first batch of all-electric Collins school buses leveraging Lightning’s EV technology is in production. Buses are expected to be delivered to dealerships and school districts this fall.
