Back to Gas: School Districts Revert to Diesel Because Biden’s Electric Buses Can’t Be Repaired
Lion Electric, which received $159 million in federal funds to manufacture electric buses, has fallen into bankruptcy and failed to deliver $95 million worth of buses
Thomas Catenacci
August 22, 2025
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.
https://freebeacon.com/energy/back-to-gas-school-districts-revert-to-diesel-because-bidens-electric-buses-cant-be-repaired/
