The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded a $3-million grant to BorgWarner, Fermata Energy and Lion Electric to bring grid-supporting and cost-saving vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions to electric school buses.

The companies will deploy V2G technology for the Conejo Valley Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, in cooperation with school bus fleet operator American Transportation.

The project is intended to serve as a large-scale demonstration of how electric school buses can provide value to the grid while parked. The buses will charge their batteries with excess power from renewable sources during the day, and V2G tech will enable them to generate revenue through participation in demand response programs, sending energy back to the grid during high-demand evening hours, or during emergency events.

The grant will fund the installation of 21 BorgWarner 125 kW UL-listed bidirectionally-enabled CCS chargers, paired with at least 20 LionD electric school buses. Fermata Energy’s Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) software platform will optimize and manage the charging and discharging of the buses to maximize grid benefits and V2X revenue for the school districts.

Fermata’s V2X software platform continuously analyzes thousands of data points to manage and optimize EV charging and discharging, and sends signals to the vehicles and bidirectional charging stations.

“This CEC grant and project underscores the power of partnerships and our collective dedication to sustainability as we deploy this cutting-edge V2G bidirectional hardware and software solution,” said Tony Posawatz, CEO of Fermata Energy. “Together, we are advancing electric vehicle integration and grid support in California schools while enabling a viable path toward renewable energy.”

Source: Fermata Energy