Oakland Unified School District in California has become the first in the United States to transition to a 100% electric school bus system equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
Zum, a modern student transportation platform, has partnered with the school district to provide a fleet of 74 electric school buses along with bidirectional chargers. Utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has supplied 2.7 megawatts (MW) of load to Zum’s Oakland EV-ready facility, where the fleet will be managed using Zum’s AI-enabled technology platform.
Kim Raney, Executive Director of Transportation at Oakland Unified School District, expressed excitement about the initiative, stating, “Oakland becoming the first in the nation to have a 100% electric school bus fleet is a huge win for the Oakland community and the nation as a whole.” Raney highlighted the positive impact on the community, particularly noting the reduction in air pollution and health benefits for residents, especially children.
The transition to a 100% electric school bus fleet not only eliminates emissions but also serves as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), providing 2.1 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy back to the power grid annually.
With student transportation being the largest mass transit system in the United States, moving 27 million students daily, the shift to electric school buses marks a significant step towards reducing carbon emissions. Currently, over 90% of the country’s 500,000 school buses run on carbon-based fuels, releasing over 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.
Zum, already operational in 14 states, has ambitious plans to further electrify school bus fleets. The company aims to electrify the school bus fleets of San Francisco Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts, which have fleets three and six times larger than Zum’s Oakland fleet, respectively.
