Building a Scalable and Repeatable School Bus Electrification Business (BuSy Bees)
eIQ Mobility
Recipient
Juno Beach, FL
Recipient Location
$1,867,761
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
Hardware and charging infrastructure (five 60 kW DC bidirectional EVSEs) were energized on December 21, 2023, at the First Student Richmond site. Unfortunately, soon after the chargers were energized, the team encountered interoperability issues that limited the usability of the chargers. The project team worked with the bus manufacturer, Micro Bird, and the EVSE manufacturer, BorgWarner, to resolve these issues. This process was further complicated by BorgWarner’s decision to exit the EV charging market in early 2025. This decision limited the team’s ability to address the charging issues and prolonged the troubleshooting process. In Q1 2025, the team had resolved the unidirectional charging interoperability issues and plan to test the bidirectional charging capabilities at the Richmond site in 2026. All hardware required for Rule 21 interconnection was installed in Q4 2025 and the project team is now focused on engaging with PG&E to finalize the Rule 21 interconnection. Once the site is interconnected, the team will validate bidirectional charging performance and begin the demonstration period.
The Issue
Hardware and charging infrastructure (five 60 kW DC bidirectional EVSEs) were energized on December 21, 2023, at the First Student Richmond site. Unfortunately, soon after the chargers were energized, the team encountered interoperability issues that limited the usability of the chargers. The project team worked with the bus manufacturer, Micro Bird, and the EVSE manufacturer, BorgWarner, to resolve these issues. This process was further complicated by BorgWarner’s decision to exit the EV charging market in early 2025. This decision limited the team’s ability to address the charging issues and prolonged the troubleshooting process. In Q1 2025, the team had resolved the unidirectional charging interoperability issues and plan to test the bidirectional charging capabilities at the Richmond site in 2026. All hardware required for Rule 21 interconnection was installed in Q4 2025 and the project team is now focused on engaging with PG&E to finalize the Rule 21 interconnection. Once the site is interconnected, the team will validate bidirectional charging performance and begin the demonstration period.
Project Innovation
The project will design and develop bidirectional charging technologies for electric school buses. It will also generate a viable business case for applying this technology to other school bus fleets across California. The software demonstrated in the project will enable monitoring, charge management, and V2G discharging. The demonstration will participate in PG&E's Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) and collect data on several vehicle grid integration (VGI) use cases including charging cost minimization.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
This project will develop and demonstrate software that will optimize bidirectional school bus charging to minimize fleet fueling costs and improve grid reliability by participating in grid services through programs like ELRP.
Reliability
This project helps improve grid reliability through Vehicle Grid Integration. VGI can help reduce peak grid loads by managing the charge rate of the EVSE when the grid is constrained or when an Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) event is active.
Environmental Sustainability
Replacing diesel powered school buses with electric buses reduces noise and air pollution which improves quality of life for all residents along their routes.
Key Project Members
Sisana Farley
Subrecipients
Cupertino Electric, Inc.
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Breathe Southern California
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
GDP Group
