Cherry Creek SD, Highland Electric Fleets get $2.4M rebate
- EVs Fleet & Depot Charging News
Marin Holt
- 0
- 6 minutes read
- rebate amount: $2.4 million
- number of chargers: six 60 kW bidirectional chargers
- school district: Cherry Creek School District
- charger capacity: 60 kW
On June 4, 2026, the Cherry Creek School District, in partnership with Highland Electric Fleets and Xcel Energy, broke ground on a new electric school bus depot in Aurora, Colorado. This significant initiative, bolstered by $2.4 million in funding from Xcel Energy’s electric school bus rebate program, will introduce six bidirectional Type C IC electric school buses and six 60 kW bidirectional chargers to the district’s fleet. Highland Electric Fleets, an Electrification-as-a-Service provider, will manage the fleet, including maintenance, for an annual lease cost of approximately $20,000 for all six buses. This collaboration marks a pivotal step in modernizing student transportation for the district, which serves over 53,000 students across eight municipalities in the Denver metro area. Xcel Energy is providing the essential charging infrastructure at no direct cost to the school district, further underscoring the collaborative nature of this project.
Critical Perspective
The article fails to acknowledge the physics of power factor correction (PFC) and its impact on energy efficiency. According to IEEE/IEC standards, bidirectional chargers like those installed in Cherry Creek School District operate with a typical power factor around 0.95—meaning only about 47% of the rated capacity is utilized at any given time. The $2.4 million rebate for six 60 kW chargers implies an average cost of approximately $83,333 per charger, which seems reasonable until one considers that these chargers are likely to operate below their rated capacity due to PFC constraints. This inefficiency could result in a significant ratepayer burden as the chargers consume more energy than necessary to meet peak demand. The question is: How will the school district ensure that these chargers are optimally utilized, and what additional costs will be incurred if they operate at suboptimal power factors? Physics dictates that even small improvements in PFC can lead to substantial savings; thus, it is crucial to verify whether the chosen technology delivers on its promised efficiency.
Why It Matters
The deployment at Cherry Creek School District highlights a cost-sharing model for school districts seeking to transition to electric buses. Xcel Energy’s $2.4 million rebate program and additional operating incentives cover significant costs associated with the electric buses and charging infrastructure. The 60 kW bidirectional chargers allow the electric school buses to not only draw power from the grid but also export stored energy back to the grid when idle. This capability is part of Xcel Energy’s bidirectional charging demonstration initiative. For school districts, this means the potential to offset operational costs through grid services without requiring substantial upfront capital investment for charging infrastructure. Highland Electric Fleets’ lease agreement, which includes maintenance, further reduces the financial burden and operational complexity for the district.
Highland Electric Fleets previously secured funding from Aiga Capital Partners to support its national expansion. The district’s scale, serving over 300,000 residents, positions this project as a significant step in demonstrating the viability of electric school bus fleets and grid integration in a large metropolitan area. The program offers a competitive total cost of ownership compared to traditional diesel buses, factoring in fuel and maintenance savings over the lifespan of the vehicles.
