California to run second school bus V2G trial

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded a $3mn grant for a trial of vehicle to grid (V2G) technology in Californian school buses.

The trial will be carried out by BorgWarner and V2G provider Fermata Energy in partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

At least 20 buses in the Conejo Valley Unified School District will be installed with bidirectionally-enabled chargers manufactured by BorgWarner.

Fermata Energy’s AI-driven software platform will analyse data from the trial.

“This CEC grant and project underscores the power of partnerships and our collective dedication to sustainability as we deploy this cutting-edge V2G bidirectional hardware and software solution,” says Tony Posawatz, CEO of Fermata Energy.

California has the highest rate of electric school bus adoption the US — with around 600 such bases operating, 3pc of the state total.

California governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation requiring all newly purchased or leased school buses in California to be zero-emissions from 2035.

V2G technology allows vehicles to be used as batteries to balance load on an electricity grid at times of peak demand.

School buses are well-suited to be early adopters of the technology as they run regular routes and are not operational at times of peak demand – usually between 6pm and 8pm.

Utility San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) has been running a similar trial with V2G firm Nuvve.

“With this new technology, electric school buses are not only delivering cleaner air to our children and cost savings to our school districts, but also providing extra power to the grid when we need it most,” said Patty Monahan, California Energy Commission’s Lead Commissioner for Transportation.

Keep an eye out for EV in Focus's whitepaper on EVs and the California grid coming soon.