V2G Hub Planned for Blue Bird Factory

Clean-tech company Nuuve plans to install and commission as many as 200 fast-charging stations with dual dispensers at Blue Bird Corporation's delivery facility in Fort Valley, Ga.

The 125kW vehicle-to-grid stations will form what is described as a"first of its kind V2G hub" that's expected to optimize the use of electric buses and allow them to act as energy storage assets while they wait to be transported around the country. Hubs like this help fulfill Nuuve's goal to provide storage solutions and capacity for local grids.

This hub will be created in the ready-for-delivery lot where electric buses are stored after leaving the production line. Blue Bird Vision Type C and All American Type D buses currently come standard with Nuuve V2G integration for bidirectional charging. The buses will be plugged in as they come off the line and await pickup for delivery to dealerships and fleet customers. Rather than leaving electric buses idle at or near full battery capacity or almost empty - factors that can degrade battery storage potential - Nuuve's V2G software platform will charge and discharge energy rates optimal for battery health, and will charge the buses when energy rates are low to minimize utility bills.

"This is another exciting step for Blue Bird and our partner, Nuvve, as we lead the journey of school bus fleet electrification while also optimizing how that fleet integrates with the grid to efficiently use energy and enhance the resiliency of the country's electricity supply," said Trevor Rudderham, senior vice president for electrification at Blue Bird. "Blue Bird is already at the forefront of V2G and this makes further use of the standard bidirectional capability on every EV we sell."

Additionally, Nuvve's system will enable the buses to store energy and aggregate multiple, parked buses in a virtual power plant (VPP) to create capacity of up to 25 MW. This will provide power back to the grid at critical times that could help reduce the peak consumption of more than 10,000 homes.

"This V2G hub will serve as a blueprint for large-scale school bus fleet deployments across the country," said Gregory Poilasne, chairman and CEO of Nuvve. "In order to meet climate challenges, we must introduce electric vehicles to the grid in a smart, integrated way and our intelligent energy platform allows us to do that by transforming these vehicles into energy storage assets. We are grateful for electrification partners like Blue Bird who see the benefits V2G can provide to fleet owners and communities."

Nuvve plans to execute agreements with local utilities to take advantage of what V2G offers including ratepayer benefits from peak demand reduction, portfolio flexibility, and system efficiencies from the capacity provided by the Blue Bird buses.

Site development is planned to begin before the end of the year.