The electric vehicle (EV) doom loop is accelerating. Even in its fading days, surrounded by the stench of EV demise, the Harris/Biden Administration continues to cheerlead for EVs. The head cheerleader: Kamala Harris:  

One of Kamala Harris's highest profile responsibilities as vice president has been spearheading the federal government's billion-dollar efforts to deploy thousands of electric buses across hundreds of school districts nationwide. But years into the program, only a small fraction of those projects have been completed while dozens of school districts have withdrawn from the program altogether.

As part of the first tranche of Clean School Bus program funding two years ago, Harris and EPA administrator Michael Regan unleashed nearly $1 billion in federal rebates for 389 school districts across all 50 states to help deliver a total 2,463 electric school buses.

And how many of those EV buses are actually in service? That’s hard to know since 27 districts report 60 buses, but that includes EV buses and propane-propelled buses. Every other district has wisely backed out.

“Wisely” because the buses don’t live up to the hype. They cost about three times as much as a conventionally powered bus, have so little range in winter—they can’t run heaters because that drains the batteries too fast—government grants don’t pay the total cost of buses, and the charging infrastructure costs are simply too great. Jackson, WY, as blue a town as can be found, had similar problems. And, of course, there is corruption:

The inspector general investigation into the Clean School Bus program concluded that some school districts were unaware they had even applied for rebates as part of the 2022 tranche. The report stated that, instead, third-party contractors had applied for the funds on behalf of those districts, an issue that "extended the program timetables and created confusion and inconsistency within the program.

Surprise! Part of the trouble is bus maker Proterra went bankrupt in August of 2023. Kamala, and Democrat cronies benefiting from the EV and related Green New Deal scams are doubtless horrified by Trump’s promises:  

Graphic: Twitter Screenshot.

Donald Trump has vowed to unwind government support for electric cars from “day one” if he regains control of the White House.

Ahead of November’s presidential election, the Republican nominee said he would scrap rules that will gradually outlaw petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, while also describing electric car subsidies as an “incredible waste”.

Mr. Trump has previously threatened to gut President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which provides subsidies of $7,500 per electric car, and has been a vocal critic of emission rules designed to phase out combustion engines over the next decade or so.

If America is ever to be energy independent again, and if inflation is to be reduced, what Trump promises is an essential first step.

School buses are not the only EV bus failures. Austin is a blue island in a sea of Texas red, and as one might imagine, Austin went all in for EV buses too. That hasn’t worked out too well:  

Capital Metro is slamming the brakes on an ambitious goal of transitioning to an all-electric bus fleet, citing problems with the range of battery-electric buses. [skip]

An analysis by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) — a state-funded research agency at Texas A&M University — found battery-electric buses could only cover 36% of Capital Metro’s bus schedules.

“If [the route] is too long, it won’t make it,” said John Overman, a research scientist with TTI. “You’re going to have to charge them mid-route or wherever it is.” Austin’s hills drain batteries faster. So does trying to cool buses in the city’s oppressive heat.

Ooops. That’s far from the only problem:

Capital Metro admitted at the time of the bankruptcy proceedings that the shift to an all-electric fleet was hitting speed bumps.

“The reliability of electric buses no matter the manufacturer is less than a diesel bus. I’m not going to tell you they operate as well as diesel bus,” CapMetro chief operating officer Andy Skabowski told KUT last December. “We’re going to see some vehicles that are down a little bit longer than a diesel bus.”

Austin, while still doing its best to cheerlead for EV buses, grudgingly admits their EV buses cost much more than conventional buses, and they have real trouble getting parts, which means their EVs are down for repairs about 50% of the time. 

It seems Kamala’s child-like love of yellow, EV school buses will remain unrequited, and should Trump be reelected, be dashed on the rocks of practical, economic, reality.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.