Oakland School Buses Power 1,000 Homes and Boost Grid Revenue

A fleet of 74 electric school buses in Oakland has powered 1,000 homes and generated grid revenue.

Tellus Power, in partnership with Oakland’s school district and project operator Zum, installed vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers on these buses, enabling energy stored in their batteries to be discharged back to the grid during peak demand. This structural shift demonstrates how fleet electrification can support grid stability while creating new revenue streams.

The buses, with a total energy storage capacity of 11.5 megawatt-hours and the ability to discharge about 2 megawatts simultaneously, have returned 1.7 gigawatt-hours of energy over two years with over 99.5% uptime. Chargers deliver up to 480 kilowatts each, and the project benefits from “energy arbitrage,” purchasing electricity when prices are low and selling when prices spike. Tellus’ CEO Mike Calise notes that V2G capacity can integrate into the grid faster than traditional power plants. Similar projects are underway in Burlington, Burnaby, Illinois, and San Francisco, with plans to expand into electric garbage trucks.

This model’s next phase involves scaling V2G deployments across more vehicle types and regions.

Montana businesses managing vehicle fleets could find value in such technology to offset peak electricity costs and support grid resilience amid increasing renewable integration.

How electric school buses power 1,000 homes in California – and make money
By Jameson Dow, Electrek