The world of battery-electric school buses in North America is welcoming its latest entrant, the Thomas Built Type D school bus, aka the Saf-T-Liner eHDX2 Wattson.
The company, a division of Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles, refers to the transit-style bus simply as Wattson. It's also encouraging to see the manufacturer officially enter the battery-electric Type D segment, which is the largest category of school buses in the industry.
[Related: GreenPower's BEAST EV school bus finds new customers]
Built on the proven HDX2 platform, Wattson—like any Type D bus—features a flat front, high seating capacity, and excellent driver visibility. Power comes from Accelera's ultra-efficient 14Xe electric axle, an integrated e-axle that combines the motor, gearbox, and power electronics into a single, compact unit.
"Wattson represents our next step in electrification," said T.J. Reed, president and CEO of Daimler Truck Specialty Vehicles. "It reflects our belief that the best electric solutions are the ones that feel familiar, fit within your fleet and are built to last. That's what we've heard from our customers, and that's what we're delivering."
The bus delivers an estimated range of 150 miles, powered by a substantial 246 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Energy is routed to the Accelera eAxle, producing 295 horsepower and 750 lb-ft of peak torque—the same setup found in the recently introduced Jouley. The result is confident performance for safely navigating multilane highways and steep rural routes, all without the cold-weather issues that can sideline diesel fleets during extreme temperature drops.
Some other interesting features include an LCD instrument cluster that provides the driver with real-time vehicle and diagnostic data, an optional front charging port (a rear port is standard), and available 69-inch pass-through luggage compartments.
"We know electrification can feel like a big step," continued Reed. "With Wattson, we're making that step easier by giving districts a familiar Type D solution they already trust—now in electric."
Thomas Built confirms it'll begin accepting orders by the end of the year with the first batch of deliveries set for late 2026.
