U.S. Electric School Buses Use V2G to Feed Power Back to Grid, Easing Peak Demand

Last week, prolonged extreme heat hit multiple regions across the United States, causing a sharp surge in electricity demand. During this period, electric school buses equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology fed power back into the grid, helping utilities maintain stable electricity supply and meet residents’ critical power needs. Although schools were on summer break, approximately 230 V2G-enabled electric school buses nationwide remained operational, ready to deliver a total of 8 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity—enough to power about 1,600 average U.S. households for four hours—and effectively reduce peak regional electricity demand. California leads the nation in deploying this technology. The Oakland Unified School District alone operates 74 electric school buses, feeding roughly 2.1 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean electricity annually into California’s grid. Estimates suggest that if half of the roughly 6,700 electric school buses currently in service nationwide were equipped with V2G capabilities, they could provide over 100 MWh of flexible peak-shaving capacity during high-demand periods, enhancing grid resilience and lowering electricity costs for consumers. Additionally, these vehicles can serve as backup power sources during extreme weather events or emergencies. The San Francisco Unified School District plans to launch a new V2G-enabled electric school bus program next month, with projected annual energy exports expected to surpass those of Oakland’s program by 2028.