Clean-tech company Nuvve Holding Corp. teamed with Blue Bird dealership Colorado/West Equipment, Inc., to deploy the first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable electric school bus to Durango School District 9-R.
La Plata Energy Association (LPEA), a member-owned Colorado cooperative, co-wrote the grant and donated funds toward the Blue Bird bus and Nuvve V2G DC 60kW charging station. Colorado/West was able to deliver the state's first V2G-capable electric bus through an Alt Fuels Colorado grant allocating funds from the $68.7-million Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Settlement for use in reducing air pollution.
Nuvve's V2G technology has been integrated into all Blue Bird Vision Type C and All American Type D buses to enable bidirectional charging and utilization of stored energy in the bus batteries to provide power back to the grid. By combining Blue Bird's All American electric bus and Nuvve's V2G 60kW DC fast charging station into one package, Colorado/West was able to offer a turnkey solution to the school district and LPEA.
"We are proud to support Durango School District 9-R and LPEA with the first Type D, electric school bus in Colorado," said Jeffrey Koza, owner of Colorado/West Equipment. "With Nuvve, we're able to offer a complete electric bus solution that includes a V2G-capable bus, V2G DC fast charger, and advanced V2G charging."
Nuvve is working closely with LPEA to provide grid flexibility, take advantage of low-cost renewables, and save on operating costs. Nuvve's intelligent energy platform transforms electric vehicles (EVs) such as buses into energy storage on wheels and allows stored capacity from EV batteries to put energy back on the grid when needed most.
"We are always looking to champion innovative solutions that benefit our members," said Dominic May, Energy Resource Program Architect at LPEA. "We believe this is the first of many V2G electric school bus deployments in Colorado and are proud to pave the way for other co-ops in the state that want to integrate technology to lower costs for their members."
"Colorado is well positioned to take advantage of all the benefits V2G can provide to students, the local community, and co-ops," said Gregory Poilasne, chairman and CEO of Nuvve. "By using Blue Bird's V2G-capable buses as innovative energy storage and flexibility assets, co-ops like La Plata can lower costs and increase reliability for their members while providing cleaner rides for the students in Durango."
Durango School District 9-R plans to use the electric bus on a daily route for students, which is about 75 miles per day. For Durango School District 9-R, running an electric bus will produce some cost savings for fuel, which is a great help with the continuation of rising fuel costs. The bus will be parked and provide energy back to the grid between the hours of 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., when energy demand is high, and then will charge at night, when rates are low.
"We are excited to be the first district in Colorado with a V2G electric bus solution thanks to LPEA's partnership and grant funding," said Daniel Blythe, director of transportation. "We are making continuous steps to reduce our carbon footprint and are pleased to offer students a quieter and cleaner ride."
Colorado/West and Nuvve are also teaming up to provide V2G electric buses and DC 60kW V2G charging solutions to other school districts in Colorado, including Steamboat Springs and Buena Vista.
