How Rescue Union School District Electrified Its Fleet and Overcame Technical Hurdles
The journey toward an all-electric vehicle fleet is a bold but challenging one. The Rescue Union School District (RUSD), located in the Sierra Foothills of Rescue, CA, launched an ambitious initiative to convert its diesel buses to an all-electric fleet. But as many pioneers discover, significant technical hurdles can arise—especially when it comes to managing fleet charging operations.
RUSD’s commitment to a cleaner environment is clear, but their program faced difficulties keeping their electric bus chargers operational. That’s where Liberty Plugins stepped in.
The Challenge: Restoring Reliability to a Cutting-Edge Fleet
Rescue Union School District’s goal was to have a fully operational electric school bus fleet depot. However, the reliability of their original charging system was compromised. The district needed a charging solution that met several critical criteria:
- Regulatory Compliance: The solution needed to adhere to Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) reporting to secure Carbon Credits reimbursement.
- Efficient Charging Capacity: The system had to be capable of rapidly charging the fleet of electric school buses.
- Utility Reporting: Detailed usage reporting was required to utility providers who were funding the EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) installations.
The Solution: Centralized Management with Liberty Plugins
Liberty Plugins provided new equipment and management tools that successfully restored reliability and safety to the program. The solution implemented a robust and flexible infrastructure:
- Equipment Installed: 13 Enphase CS-100 (80A) units were installed, providing 19.2 kW of charging power.
- Centralized Management: The Hydra-R gateway and network were key, offering a streamlined platform for controlling, monitoring, and reporting all charging stations. Two units were retrofitted with Hydra™ for centralized management.
- Scalable and Open: The system was designed for future expansion and featured an Open API for seamless integration with RUSD’s existing fleet management systems.
Key Outcomes: Full Uptime and Peace of Mind
The charging solution met or exceeded all of Rescue Union School District’s project requirements. The results speak for themselves:
- 100% charger uptime was restored.
- The district achieved unified monitoring and reporting.
- Maintenance and downtime were significantly reduced.
- Driver access and onboarding were streamlined.
- The flexible expansion path now supports future EV growth.
RUSD is now leveraging dashboard reporting to align with their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives and secure valuable LCFS credits.
Laura Webster, Transportation Director for RUSD, praised the intervention: “After struggling to keep our electric bus chargers running, Liberty’s team stepped in and made everything work again quickly and affordably… Within weeks, our fleet was fully operational and easier to manage than ever. Liberty’s reliability and customer service have been outstanding.”