Biden gave Lion Electric, out of Canada, $159 million. They went bankrupt and now can't offer maintenance on the buses. Solyndra 2.0?
The Biden administration awarded Canadian electric bus maker Lion Electric $159 million to manufacture 435 school buses between 2022 and 2024, making it the third-largest recipient of such funding. The company has since fallen into bankruptcy, failed to deliver hundreds of the buses it promised, and warned school districts that its dire financial straits prevent it from servicing those in circulation.
As a result, many of those districts are turning back to diesel.
The Washington Free Beacon reported earlier this year that Lion, then nearing bankruptcy, had yet to deliver $95 million worth of the electric buses it pledged to produce as part of the Biden administration's $5 billion Clean School Bus program. Since then, Lion was sold for just $6 million during bankruptcy proceedings after being valued at $4.7 billion as recently as June 2021. The company also permanently shuttered multiple manufacturing plants, fired the majority of its employees, and told consumers that it could no longer honor warranties and purchase orders in the United States.
Lion's dramatic fall from grace marks one of the most apparent failures stemming from Democrats' green energy agenda, particularly as school districts turn back to the diesel-powered vehicles the Clean School Bus program was designed to phase out.
"All of our contacts from Lion that we worked so closely with to ensure the project's success have been fired," Mike Leskowich, superintendent of the Homer Community School District in southern Michigan, told the Free Beacon. "We are going to keep our electric fleet on the roads for as long as possible. Eventually, however, we will return to diesel, as the cost of the vehicle is far less than electric."
_________________
Established by Democrats' 2021 infrastructure bill, the Clean School Bus Program emerged as one of the Biden administration's signature climate initiatives.
_________________
Several school districts across the country have completely removed their Lion buses from service over mechanical and safety concerns. A superintendent for a Midwest school district told industry publication Clean Trucking the district's buses could not heat up in cold weather, lost steering and braking ability at times, had defective frames, and regularly displayed error messages that forced drivers to reset the vehicles.
"The buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs," Coleen Souza, assistant to the superintendent of Winthrop Public Schools in Maine, told Clean Trucking.
freebeacon.com
The Biden administration awarded Canadian electric bus maker Lion Electric $159 million to manufacture 435 school buses between 2022 and 2024, making it the third-largest recipient of such funding. The company has since fallen into bankruptcy, failed to deliver hundreds of the buses it promised, and warned school districts that its dire financial straits prevent it from servicing those in circulation.
As a result, many of those districts are turning back to diesel.
The Washington Free Beacon reported earlier this year that Lion, then nearing bankruptcy, had yet to deliver $95 million worth of the electric buses it pledged to produce as part of the Biden administration's $5 billion Clean School Bus program. Since then, Lion was sold for just $6 million during bankruptcy proceedings after being valued at $4.7 billion as recently as June 2021. The company also permanently shuttered multiple manufacturing plants, fired the majority of its employees, and told consumers that it could no longer honor warranties and purchase orders in the United States.
Lion's dramatic fall from grace marks one of the most apparent failures stemming from Democrats' green energy agenda, particularly as school districts turn back to the diesel-powered vehicles the Clean School Bus program was designed to phase out.
"All of our contacts from Lion that we worked so closely with to ensure the project's success have been fired," Mike Leskowich, superintendent of the Homer Community School District in southern Michigan, told the Free Beacon. "We are going to keep our electric fleet on the roads for as long as possible. Eventually, however, we will return to diesel, as the cost of the vehicle is far less than electric."
_________________
Established by Democrats' 2021 infrastructure bill, the Clean School Bus Program emerged as one of the Biden administration's signature climate initiatives.
_________________
Several school districts across the country have completely removed their Lion buses from service over mechanical and safety concerns. A superintendent for a Midwest school district told industry publication Clean Trucking the district's buses could not heat up in cold weather, lost steering and braking ability at times, had defective frames, and regularly displayed error messages that forced drivers to reset the vehicles.
"The buses do not run for more than a month before needing more repairs," Coleen Souza, assistant to the superintendent of Winthrop Public Schools in Maine, told Clean Trucking.
Back to Gas: School Districts Revert to Diesel Because Biden’s Electric Buses Can’t Be Repaired
The Biden administration awarded Canadian electric bus maker Lion Electric $159 million to manufacture 435 school buses between 2022 and 2024, making it the third-largest recipient of such funding. The company has since fallen into bankruptcy, failed to deliver hundreds of the buses it promised...
freebeacon.com
Last edited:
