For over a decade, Georgia has been ranked as the “#1 State for Business” by Site Selection Magazine. This incredible distinction is more than just a trophy on a shelf, it’s provided state leaders and economic developers the opportunity to recruit new businesses to the Peach State.

While various industries like entertainment, cybersecurity, aerospace, and agriculture have experienced incredible growth in Georgia, auto manufacturing, specifically in the electric vehicle (EV) space, is the headline story. 

Over $27.3 billion in electric vehicle investments have been announced in Georgia since 2018. With companies like Hyundai, Kia, and Rivian choosing to build electric vehicles in the state, Georgia is vying to become what Governor Brian Kemp calls the “electric mobility capitol of the United States.”

To earn that lofty title, federal and state leaders have worked in coordination to support not only the manufacturers and their suppliers, but also the infrastructure and ecosystem required. Georgia is sixth in the nation for public EV charging stations, offering more than 1,500 individual outlets, equating to more outlets per capita than anywhere in the Southeast.

On the local level, there’s also a movement afoot to build on this momentum and add electric buses to the fleet of vehicles that ferry young Georgians to and from school. 

In December of 2024, I was honored to join with fellow elected officials, school system leadership, and members of the media to celebrate an important milestone in our community. Thanks to the hard work of our School Superintendent and her team, Wilkes County became the first school system to have an “All-Clean School Bus Fleet.”

While this event was a celebratory day for Wilkes County School System leaders, Blue Bird Corporation, and Highland Electric Fleets, who all worked in conjunction to launch the clean fleet, the real winners here are the students, their parents, and rural Georgia.

Electric school buses eliminate student, driver, and community exposure to diesel fumes, which have been linked to childhood asthma and respiratory illnesses. According to research, students who ride a diesel bus have 16% more exposure to inhaled Nox and pollution, and a 7% increase in the risk of asthma.

These health-related concerns have an impact in the classroom as well. Diesel fumes, by extension, drive absenteeism, which leads to a reduction in learning and undermines academic potential and success. Even worse, the data shows that the negative impact of standard diesel school buses is more pronounced in historically marginalized and underrepresented communities.

Adopting electric school buses is financially prudent as well. Volatile diesel prices wreak havoc on local school budgets, leading to tax increases or austerity cuts. Electric school buses restore balance to transportation budgets with predictable energy prices, reliable performance, and long-term cost savings.

Electric school buses are the next step forward to becoming the “electric mobility capitol of the U.S.”. But more importantly, the embrace of this innovation in rural Georgia will improve the healthcare and educational outcomes of students here in Wilkes County and beyond.

With electric school buses, we can keep moving rural Georgia forward while putting students first. It’s a “win-win” investment that future generations will also appreciate and applaud.

Bruce Bailey is the Mayor of Washington, GA.