The US’ first all-electric school bus fleet is also a grid asset

The Oakland Unified School District has become the first major school district in the US to transition to an all-electric fleet of buses.

In partnership with electric vehicle company Zum, the district has deployed 74 plug-in school buses, replacing all of the fossil fuel-powered models it used previously. Aside from reducing local air pollution, the zero-emission buses are equipped with vehicle-to-the-grid technology, meaning their batteries send energy back into the grid when not in use.

Artificial intelligence-enabled software is used to determine the best times to charge and discharge the buses, based on prevailing prices and supply and demand dynamics.

Zum says the fleet is expected to inject 2.1 gigawatt hours of energy back into the grid every year. That’ll allow the network operator to reduce its reliance on gas-fired peaker plants during the evenings, which should translated into 25,000 metric tonnes of avoided greenhouse gas emissions.

The utility partner on the project, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), has provided 2.7 megawatts of load to the charging depot.

“The Oakland Unified School District is proud to lead the way with safe and sustainable transportation for our students,” said Kyla Johnson-Trammell, the district’s superintendent.

“This is a landmark achievement, especially in Oakland, where families are disproportionately impacted by exposure to air pollution and high rates of asthma and other respiratory ailments,” Johnson-Trammell said. “Zum’s electric school buses provide our students quieter, cleaner rides to and from school, giving them a better chance at success in the classroom, while ensuring the district is doing its part to cut down on air pollution to the benefit of all Oakland residents.”

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Cheree Peterson added: “I’ve seen firsthand the advantages of these electric buses, with the absence of noxious diesel emissions benefiting students, school staff, and neighbouring communities.”

In January, the EPA said it had allocated enough funds to replace more than 5,000 of America’s school buses with zero-emission alternatives.