re: MS Getting $11 Million for 31 Electric School Buses and Charging Stations

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Meanwhile, the Twin Cities' fleet has proven comparatively unreliable. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, electric buses have broken down at twice the rate of traditional diesel-powered buses. All of this leaves the general impression that electric buses lack efficiency and do not meet riders' needs.

The most significant aspect of this story, however -- or at least the one that makes it relevant to readers outside of Minnesota -- involves the perennial unholy alliance between government and business. In 2021, Metro Transit received a federal grant to purchase a fleet of electric buses from the California-based manufacturer Proterra. Duluth received a similar grant in 2015.

Earlier this year, Proterra filed for bankruptcy despite a public endorsement from President Joe Biden as recently as March 2022. Now, in addition to malfunctioning or inadequate buses, the Minnesota cities have no immediate vendor.

If this story sounds familiar, it is because affluent Teton County, Wyoming, had a similar experience with Proterra. That cold-weather county's entire electric bus fleet failed, resulting in continued reliance on its diesel fleet. Of course, Teton County's per-household wealth ranks first in the nation.

Predictably, Biden won Teton County by nearly 40 points in the 2020 election. Biden also received Minnesota's 10 electoral votes, winning both Hennepin and St. Louis counties, home to the Twin Cities and Duluth, respectively.

In sum, urban Minnesotans support Democrats, so it stands to reason that they would invest in electric buses. Furthermore, it makes no difference that the buses often fail to run properly and do not suit riders' needs. Electric vehicles have nothing to do with the people who ride in them.

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