What you need to know:
UPDATED: Lion Electric has confirmed to Clean Trucking its new owners "plan to streamline operations by focusing exclusively on electric school buses, fully assembled locally and intended for the Quebec market."
- Some U.S. school districts are stuck with broken or unsafe Lion Electric EV school buses.
- The districts received funding from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program, which was part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- A group of Canadian investors bought bankrupt Lion Electric are now planning to focus "exclusively on electric school buses, fully assembled in Canada and intended for the Quebec market."
- Two school districts shared detailed accounts of significant mechanical, operational, and safety failures.
Several school districts across the U.S. are caught in a frustrating situation regarding their battery-electric school buses built by Quebec-based Lion Electric.
Over the past several months, Clean Trucking has reported on the financial collapse and subsequent bankruptcy of Lion Electric. Last month, a group of Canadian investors received court approval to purchase the bankrupt company but will only revive EV commercial semi manufacturing operations in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec.
Meanwhile, Lion's 900,000 sq. ft. EV school bus factory in Joliet, Ill. is permanently shuttered. Following the publication of this article, Lion Electric has reached out to Clean Trucking confirming plans "to streamline operations by focusing exclusively on electric school buses, fully assembled locally and intended for the Quebec market. This will allow Lion to resume production, continue supporting its hundreds of clients, and ensure maintenance of the approximately 1,000 electric school buses currently operating in the province."
Nothing specific was stated by Lion about supporting its U.S.-based customers.
[Related: Lion Electric suspends Illinois plant production, lays off hundreds]
And there lies the rub. Many U.S. school districts are now stuck with Lion EV buses that are no longer road worthy and, in some instances, unsafe.
[Related: Lion Electric EV school bus catches fire on way to school]
For context, the EPA's Clean School Bus Program provided funding for districts nationwide to purchase EV buses to replace aging diesel buses. Some of these districts took a chance on the little known Canadian company rather than an established legacy brand.
Clean Trucking spoke to two school districts whose officials were willing to discuss their experiences with Lion. Both districts dealt with almost immediate operational, technical, and safety issues that ultimately resulted in their buses being pulled from duty.
Good intentions, bad outcomes
"All four Lion buses that we own are currently parked and not being used," explained Coleen Souza, assistant to the superintendent and interim transportation director of Winthrop Public Schools in Winthrop, Maine.
"Two of them are in need of repairs which would cost us money which we are not willing to invest in because the buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs."
Winthrop Public Schools
The district is reinstating some of its older diesel buses to take the place of the Lion EVs.
It's a similar story for a rural Midwest school district whose superintendent wishes to remain anonymous. The district also removed its four Lion buses from service.
"Very early on we felt like we got the beta version [of the buses]," the superintendent said. "For example, the electric infrastructure cannot heat the bus when external temperatures are below 35 degrees Fahrenheit."
To its credit, Lion immediately investigated and tried to resolve the problem, but its solution didn't work.
"Lion built an auxiliary diesel heater to heat the bus, essentially writing the manual as they went," the superintendent continued. "It was fascinating to watch but there were design flaws with the heater. For example, the intakes pointed downward and we’re driving across rural roads and the intake sucks in that dirt."
Using a diesel-powered heater to warm an electric bus also somewhat defeats the purpose of going 100% zero-emissions.
This district did not experience any charging issues but "There were random error codes that came up. The usual fix was to stop the bus, get out, and reset the bus from the outside by flipping a switch. It was basically like rebooting a computer. But the problem is actually having to exit the bus."
That's a clear safety concern when the bus is packed with students. Furthermore, the buses lost power while driving on the highway, leading to a loss of steering and braking ability.
"We had to manhandle them to the side of the road. There was little clue from Lion about what was going on. The only input we got was 'it might be user error.' We thought we were an isolated case. We’re not. Other districts have experienced the same problems."
Questionable vehicle construction was another headache.
"The frame was rattling the bus apart," they continued. "The emergency door gap was about an eighth of an inch at the top and quarter inch at the bottom, so the door didn't fit right. The door is not supposed to get wider at the bottom.
"Lion tried to help but had limited resources. We had at least two dozen work tickets over two years."
Despite these quality issues, the superintendent likes the idea of electric school buses, which are considerably quieter and more comfortable than their diesel counterparts, but Lion "produced a product that is not, in my opinion, suitable for rural work over 250 sq. miles. The bus is not tooled for backcountry roads."
EPA encouragement
The EPA's Clean School Bus Program, which stopped accepting applications last January, was funded by former President Biden's 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $5 billion over five years, beginning in 2022, to replace existing school buses with zero-emission buses.
Former EPA Administrator Michael Regan was present for a ceremony the day when Lion delivered the first two buses to the Midwest school district, who paid nothing out of pocket, including the charging infrastructure.
Each bus cost around $325,000 and the superintendent says the district received federal assistance worth $750,000 to $800,000.
"It felt like the EPA paid more attention to getting our old diesel buses off the road over the new ones. Lion kept calling me to gather all of the required EPA documentation to prove the buses were off the road," the superintendent admitted. "We would have preferred to re-invest the money back into the classroom."
Clean Trucking reached out to the EPA for comment regarding the situation but was redirected to the Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs. When contacted, the DOJ stated that it "can’t comment as Lion Electric has obtained protections under the bankruptcy code."
Lion Electric did not respond to our inquiry.
What now?
Both school districts we spoke to have returned to their existing diesel buses for the foreseeable future. Neither had an overall positive experience, especially with the EPA after the buses malfunctioned.
"We don’t know what was promised to the EPA by Lion," said the superintendent. "We’re way down at the receiving end."
EV buses are unquestionably cleaner, quieter, and more comfortable than diesel buses. Unfortunately, Lion Electric's buses, in these cases, have proven to be unreliable and potential safety hazards.
"We have lost all confidence about the reliability of these buses and have had no contact with Lion Electric since the company was liquidated. We are extremely disappointed in Lion Electric and in their inability to stand behind their buses," concludes Souza.
