Denver Public Schools (DPS) now has new charging infrastructure with 26 ports at the Hilltop Bus Terminal, intended to keep its growing fleet of electric school buses ready for daily routes. The center entered service before the start of the school year on August 24, 2026, at a time when electric buses accounted for 12% of the district’s yellow school bus fleet.
The fleet currently includes 28 electric buses, after the addition of 25 Blue Bird Vision buses to three buses that were already in service. Winn-Marion carried out the project’s main work, while PowerFlex manages smart charging and energy use. The system is based on equipment from Kempower with a total capacity of up to 650 kilowatts.
Charging That Adapts to Bus Schedules
The center consists of 13 dual-port Kempower Satellite dispensers. These dispensers dynamically distribute the available power among the charging ports, so buses assigned to longer routes receive more power, while buses with lower needs use a limited amount of power.
This approach suits the operating patterns of school buses, which typically return to the same terminal and remain out of service for predictable periods. The district can therefore schedule charging according to route length and the time available before the next trip, rather than allocating power equally to all buses.
Expected Savings Despite the Higher Purchase Price
Each electric bus costs about $400,000, compared with approximately $140,000 for a diesel-powered bus, according to figures DPS provided to Denver7. The district says grants and rebates covered the cost of the buses and charging infrastructure.
By contrast, DPS estimates the annual electricity cost for an electric bus at about $1,900, compared with $6,800 for fuel for a diesel bus. For the 25 new buses, that amounts to expected fuel savings of approximately $123,000 per year. The district also expects electric buses to require about 75% less maintenance because they do not have engines, transmissions, and many of the moving parts found in diesel buses.
Long-Term Costs Remain Uncertain
DPS does not yet have enough actual operating data for a final comparison between the full cost of electric buses and diesel buses over their service lives. Each electric bus battery costs $93,000 and is covered by an eight-year warranty. The district expects major repairs for electric buses to begin around the ninth or tenth year, a period when diesel buses may also begin to incur more expensive maintenance work.
For this purpose, DPS will use the new monitoring system to track electricity consumption, maintenance, and efficiency. The step is connected to the district’s goal of reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% by 2050; the transportation sector currently accounts for 14% of those emissions.
What Changes in Practice?
The project shows that electrifying a school bus fleet depends not only on purchasing buses, but also requires a charging center capable of managing demand according to daily schedules. The comparison between the two options also remains tied to battery life and future repair costs, along with the impact of emissions. The article notes that approximately 26 million children in the United States use school buses and that 95% of these buses run on diesel. The American Lung Association links diesel exhaust to asthma attacks, lung damage, and other health problems, with children facing greater risks because their lungs are still developing.
Kempower says its equipment also charges electric school buses in Quebec, Louisiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Wisconsin.