Electric School Buses as Power Source

Zūm's Initiative to Power the Grid with Electric School Buses

Zūm, a company specializing in child transportation solutions for both school districts and families, is developing a strategy to utilize its growing fleet of electric school buses as a resource for returning energy to the power grid during periods of high demand.

Partnership with AutoGrid for Virtual Power Plant Creation

To facilitate this innovative approach, Zūm is collaborating with AutoGrid, a provider of sophisticated energy management and distribution software. This partnership aims to establish Zūm’s electric bus fleet as one of the world’s largest virtual power plants, as stated by both companies.

Zūm has a goal of operating a fleet of 10,000 electric buses by the year 2025. Upon reaching this target, the company projects a capacity to deliver one gigawatt of energy back to the grid.

Scale of Potential Energy Contribution

To illustrate the potential impact, one gigawatt of energy is sufficient to power approximately 110 million LED lightbulbs or 300,000 homes. However, Zūm’s current fleet is significantly smaller than its ultimate goal.

Currently, only 10% of Zūm’s buses are electric, a situation attributed to existing supply chain limitations, according to CEO and co-founder Ritu Narayan in a recent interview with TechCrunch.

Leveraging Idle Battery Capacity

“School buses essentially represent substantial mobile battery storage,” explained Narayan. “Notably, these vehicles remain largely unused during peak electricity demand times, such as evenings or summer months. Our primary objective extends beyond the vehicles’ daytime transportation function to include supplying energy back to the grid during off-peak school transportation hours.”

Growing Trend in the EV Industry

This collaborative effort, while inventive in its application to school bus fleets, is becoming increasingly prevalent within the electric vehicle (EV) industry. As EV adoption rises, companies like Zūm are acknowledging the necessity for a reciprocal relationship with an energy grid facing increasing strain.

This week, Revel, a mobility company, announced a similar initiative, partnering with GridRewards – a service comparable to AutoGrid – to optimize the charging schedule of its e-moped fleet, enabling it to contribute power back to the grid when required.

Significant Opportunity with School Bus Fleets

School buses present a considerable opportunity for energy sharing, particularly in the current climate. The Biden administration has proposed a $25 billion investment in the electrification of school bus fleets.

Currently, over 500,000 yellow school buses transport more than 27 million students daily, representing a vast, untapped potential for energy storage and distribution.

Initial Launch and Expansion Plans

The partnership is initially being launched in San Francisco, where Zūm operates a fleet of 206 school buses, and in the Oakland Unified School District, with a fleet of 70 buses, as indicated by Narayan.

Zūm also intends to expand its operations nationwide, already serving school districts in California, Seattle, Chicago, and Dallas, with plans to target Washington, D.C. in the near future.

Environmental Benefits of EV Transition

“The shift towards electric vehicles within the school transportation sector will be instrumental in enhancing air quality and promoting environmental well-being for student passengers and local communities,” the company stated.

This article was updated to incorporate recent information provided by Zūm.