Electric school buses in Oakland will help stabilize the grid

Startup Zum has launched the U.S.'s largest all-electric school-bus fleet in Oakland, using these buses as grid-supporting batteries to improve both transportation and energy reliability.

Jeff St. John reports for Canary Media.

In short:

• Zum deployed 74 electric school buses in Oakland, aiming to cut harmful emissions and reduce air pollution.
• The buses use vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to charge during off-peak hours and discharge power when the grid is stressed.
• Federal and state incentives helped fund the project, but only 2% of U.S. school buses are electric.

Key quote:

"PG&E was able to step up to the challenge and deliver the energy to power these buses — and we were able to do it a year early."

— Patti Poppe, CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric

Why this matters:

Electric school buses reduce emissions and can support the grid when demand spikes, lowering reliance on fossil fuels. However, expanding this model faces hurdles due to high costs and limited infrastructure.