Technology Happy Hour: Sonny Merryman on Electrification of School Buses

August 8, 2024

On Friday, July 18th, Virginia Clean Cities hosted the Technology Happy Hour with Sonny Merryman, a successful deployer of electric school buses (ESBs). Whitney Kopanko, Director of Marketing and School Bus Sales, provided considerations for school districts looking to acquire electric school buses. 

Some highlights of her presentation include:

  • Sonny Merryman has distributed over 220 Jouley Electric School buses to over 40 school districts since 2020! 
  • Kopanko combatted common electrification fears, like upfront costs of EV supply equipment, with the concept of greater cost savings in the long term.
  • She shared valuable information on several federally funded programs for ESBs, such as the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Program, (EPA) and the 45W Commercial Clean Vehicle Tax Credit (IRS). 

Ultimately, the webinar offered valuable real-world information for school districts looking to try electric school buses. 

Check out the full recording of the presentation on Virginia Clean Cities’ YouTube channel or click the link here to learn more!