California's Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) marked the launch of its new vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging system with an August 7 ceremony at the district’s transportation yard. The event was co-presented by The Mobility House and included partners Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), World Resources Institute, Center for Transportation and the Environment, and Polara.

With the installation of 22 electric vehicle chargers —14 previously installed low-power chargers, six high-power bidirectional V2G direct current (DC) fast chargers, and two additional high-power unidirectional chargers planned for 2026 — FUSD is now equipped to power and manage a growing fleet of 14 electric school buses, including four Thomas Built and 10 Blue Bird buses.

The infrastructure will support the displacement of six internal combustion engine buses, with four new electric buses entering service this year and two more in 2026.

Project Overview

The commissioning represents the first phase of a two-phase project that will install six bidirectional chargers enabled for V2G participation in PG&E's Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP). The Mobility House’s ChargePilot charge management system will manage fleet charging and connect with PG&E’s market aggregation platform.

“Electric school buses, with their large batteries and predictable schedules, can play an important role in supporting the electric grid,” said Gregor Hintler, CEO North America of The Mobility House. “We’re proud to provide the technology to help the district support community energy resilience.”

To enable this transformation, PG&E upgraded the site's electrical infrastructure, including:

• A new 480 volt 3-phase service entrance (upgraded from 208V).

• A 750 kVA transformer.

• Facilitated installation of a 2,500 Amp switchgear to meet current and future charging needs.

How It Works

• ChargePilot manages daily charging, monitored by the fleet operator via an online dashboard.

• PG&E notifies the system of upcoming load reduction events, and ChargePilot optimizes charging schedules based on event timing and electricity rates.

• During events, the system discharges stored energy from buses to reduce site load while ensuring buses remain ready for routes.

• Participation in ELRP can offset charging costs.

The Mobility House is working with utilities in California and other states to expand V2G capabilities for fleets.

District Perspective

“We’ve already seen how our electric buses contribute to cleaner air,” said Ernest Epley, FUSD’s director of transportation. “Now, we can also use them to deliver clean and reliable energy.”

The project is funded by the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program.

This marks the second school district participating in PG&E's commercial fleet Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot, following the successful deployment with Zum and Oakland Unified School District in 2024.