Fremont Unified School District Deploys V2G Charging to Boost Grid Resilience

Fremont Unified School District Deploys V2G Charging to Boost Grid Resilience
August 12, 2025 — Fremont, CA / Belmont, CA

The Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) has successfully launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging system for its electric school bus fleet, enabling the buses’ batteries to supply power back to the grid during peak demand. The project, developed with The Mobility House and partners including the World Resources Institute, Center for Transportation and the Environment, and Polara, was celebrated at a ceremony on August 7.

Phase one includes six bidirectional chargers managed by The Mobility House’s ChargePilot® platform, integrated with Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP). The system allows buses to discharge stored energy during grid emergencies while ensuring they are fully charged for scheduled routes.

How it works:

• ChargePilot oversees daily smart charging, optimizing schedules via an online dashboard.
• PG&E alerts the platform to load reduction events, which then adjusts charging to discharge power and reduce site load.
• The approach lowers operational costs by offsetting charging expenses through ELRP participation.

Funded by the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program, the initiative reflects growing momentum in California and beyond for V2G-enabled fleets. The Mobility House is expanding these capabilities to other states, including Massachusetts and New York.

“Electric school buses, with their large batteries and predictable schedules, have tremendous potential to support the electric grid with V2G,” said Gregor Hintler, CEO North America at The Mobility House.