Hubject and Heliox, a Siemens business, are working with Accelera by Cummins and Blue Bird Corporation on what they describe as the first commercial deployment of an interoperable, standards-compliant vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging solution using ISO 15118-20.

The project demonstrates a commercial implementation of ISO 15118-20, the international standard that defines secure, bi-directional communication between electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

Roles In The V2G Deployment

Under the collaboration:

• Hubject provides the digital infrastructure that enables secure Plug&Charge functionality for authentication and authorization between vehicle and charger.

• Heliox supplies V2G-capable DC fast chargers that meet ISO 15118-20 requirements.

• Accelera by Cummins provides fully integrated electric powertrains that support V2G operation.

• Blue Bird supplies electric school buses that can both draw power from and return power to the grid, allowing potential revenue opportunities and additional grid support.

“This collaboration shows how ISO 15118-20 can be used in a practical, scalable way,” said David Aspinwall, president of Heliox, a Siemens business. “Combining hardware, software, and vehicle technology around the same standard supports wider V2G adoption.”

Implications For Electric School Bus Fleets

ISO 15118-20 supports secure, encrypted communication between electric vehicles and chargers and enables functions such as bi-directional power flow, load management, and Plug&Charge authentication without RFID cards or mobile apps.

“This is an important step toward a more intelligent energy ecosystem,” said Amit Bhonsle, head of product – North America at Hubject. “Our Plug&Charge platform is built to meet ISO 15118-20 requirements and support this type of V2G use case.”

As utilities face higher demand and more fleets transition to electric vehicles, V2G technology is expected to play a growing role in grid management, operating cost control, and resilience—particularly for school bus fleets with predictable duty cycles and long dwell times.