A-Z Bus Sales Inc., a provider of clean transportation solutions, has delivered the first Type-D all-electric school buses in California with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities.
The Blue Bird EV school buses were delivered to the Madera Unified School District (Maera USD), the first of many Type-D electric buses that can charge with both standard AC or DC fast charge. A-Z Bus Sales delivered the first Type-A electric buses in California with V2G capabilities with partner Micro Bird last year.
“Madera USD is excited to have received its first electric transit school buses as it teams with A-Z Bus and the California Energy Commission in helping to reduce carbon emissions and pollution in the Central Valley,” says Travis Griffin, director of transportation at Madera USD. “The support and service that our district has received from A-Z Bus over the years has been exceptional, and the overall performance of the Blue Bird demo electric bus was impressive.”
The Blue Bird electric school buses utilize technology by Cummins Electrified Power. The V2G technology on the bus creates opportunities for energy companies to “buy back” stored energy that the buses hold after a charge while providing the potential for microgrid services to power buildings or other power generating opportunities. The buses are capable of up to 120 miles of range and can be charged using a standard SAE J1772 Level 2 charger or CCS Type-1 DC fast charger.
A-Z Bus Sales works closely with school districts in helping to source funding opportunities for school bus replacements and the critical infrastructure required to support the electric buses. Anticipated savings to school districts with an electric school bus include up to 80% savings in fuel costs with up to 50% savings on maintenance over a traditional diesel-powered vehicle in addition to the potential V2G savings.
Photo: Cummins Electrification web page
