Student transportation provider Zūm will deploy a fully electric school bus fleet for Branford Public Schools in Connecticut, beginning in the 2026-27 school year. All the e-buses will feature built-in bidirectional V2G capabilities.

In 2024, Branford Public Schools awarded Zūm a 10-year student transportation contract with the goal of transitioning the district to a 100% electric school bus fleet within five years. The district reports that it is now on track to achieve this transition three years ahead of schedule.

School buses are an ideal use case for EVs, and the addition of vehicle-to-grid capability can make electrification a net source of revenue rather than an expense. Branford’s electric fleet will have the capability to discharge energy from the buses’ batteries to the local grid when they’re not on the road.

Zūm is currently working with school districts in 15 states, including in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Omaha, Boston and Kansas City. In the 2024-25 school year, the company deployed a fully electric school bus fleet for the Oakland Unified School District in California.

“This marks a major milestone in Zum’s continued national electrification expansion,” said Ritu Narayan, founder and CEO of Zum. “As we expand our electrification efforts to the East Coast and launch our first fully electric school bus fleet in the region, Branford is helping set a new national standard.”

Source: Zum