California-based Stockton Unified School District (SUSD) has partnered with electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider The Mobility House to deploy smart charging and management solutions for the district’s new electric school buses.

The project includes 11 electric school buses and 24 chargers, all fully operational, with funding awarded by the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission, and San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, according to a news release from The Mobility House. The district received an additional $4.94 million in funding from California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that uses cap-and-trade dollars to fund projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the economy, and improve public health — particularly in disadvantaged communities, according to the EV charging solutions provider.

"Stockton Unified School District is proudly committed to pioneering sustainability efforts both within our local community and across California’s entire educational system,” said Gilbert Rosas, SUSD’s energy education specialist for operations and maintenance. “Removing diesel pollution from our operations sets the foundation for ultimately eliminating harmful toxins in the air for our children. We are also excited to use our electric buses and charging technologies in peer-led educational programs to teach students and faculty about the power of clean energy.”

SUSD collaborated with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), Schneider Electric, Sage Energy Consulting, and The Mobility House to develop a comprehensive roadmap for achieving net-zero emissions, according to the EV charging solutions provider. The plan also details installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) canopies and switching to all-electric lawn mowers, grounds maintenance equipment, and fleet maintenance vehicles.

Make-ready infrastructure from utilities provider Pacific Gas and Electric (PG and E) also qualified the district to participate in PG and E’s business electric vehicle (BEV) rate. Leveraging The Mobility House’s intelligent charging and energy management system, called ChargePilot, to evaluate fleet schedules, equipment requirements, and PG and E’s BEV time-of-use rate, SUSD will reportedly benefit from lower electricity costs and a charging capacity that allows the buses to operate on longer daily routes — saving the district a projected $500,000 over five years in charging costs.

“From initial design planning and pre-install consulting to the integration of ChargePilot, we appreciated working hand-in-hand with the district and our partners throughout this process and are proud of our role in getting this project up and running in less than one year,” said Greg Hintler, U.S. managing director for The Mobility House.

Since 2009, the company has developed an expansive partner ecosystem to integrate EVs into the power grid, including EV charger manufacturers, installation companies, energy suppliers, and automotive manufacturers ranging from Audi to Tesla.