In This Story
Fengxiu Zhang, an assistant professor at the Schar School, and an interdisciplinary team at George Mason University are bringing electric bus fleets to Northern Virginia, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Zhang, who obtained her doctorate just four years ago, has proven herself as a rising star at the Schar School. As the key social scientist on a team of engineers and computer scientists, she is responsible for managing a crucial link in the project: systematically gathering the stakeholder data necessary to build a long-lasting and equitable system for electrifying bus fleets. This grant, part of the Smart and Connected Communities program, provides the “opportunity to engage in use-informed research that has a direct impact on real-world management and policy-making,” Zhang said.
That direct impact is urgently needed: Only 2.5% of buses nationwide are electric. Bus ridership is the future, with 22% of bus riders younger than 25, and bus ridership growth outpacing rail ridership. By engaging with communities directly and developing tools that can dynamically adjust to their needs, this NSF grant can ease the barriers to electrification. Roadblocks like “range limits, long charging time, high capital expenses, low E-bus utilization ratios, equipment downtime, and underdeveloped workforces” have delayed the implementation of E-buses, she said.
While working on a $750,000 NSF transportation grant in 2022, Zhang forged connections in Northern Virginia with nearby school systems, transit organizations, and local governments—positioning her to be uniquely effective.
“My role is to design and implement focus groups and interviews with a broad range of stakeholders, including bus drivers, dispatchers, fleet managers, service technicians, and utility managers,” she wrote. “I’ve learned the importance of engaging our community partners early and continuously to conduct truly use-informed research.” By doing so, the researchers can focus on the part of the project that fits the needs of the community best.
The data gathered by Zhang is invested back towards those stakeholders, large and small. She has a strong record of integrating environmental justice into her research, and has expanded the project to explore transportation justice, or how the choices municipalities make might disadvantage the communities that need the services most.
“I proposed integrating environmental justice and transportation justice considerations into our analytics and decision support tools,” Zhang said. “This approach aims to ensure that bus electrification initiatives contribute to improved air quality in underserved communities, while maintaining or enhancing the accessibility of bus services, including factors like walking distance to bus stops, service reliability, and access to essential destinations.”
The team plans to launch a local E-bus pilot program in collaboration with their local partners in 2028.