King Introduces Bill to Maximize Potential from Electric School Buses

May 12, 2023
BRUNSWICK, ME –U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has introduced legislation to promote electric school buses. TheBIDIRECTIONAL Actwould create a Department of Energy (DOE) program dedicated to deploying electric school buses with “bidirectional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) flow capability,” or the ability to use the bus batteries to power the electrical grid when the buses are not in use.
Electric school buses work well for vehicle-to-grid because they have large batteries, sit idle for predictable periods, and operate in fleets. If properly deployed, the technology canimprove energy efficiency, lower costs, and improve grid stability.
“Vehicle-to-grid school buses are another commonsense tool that can help create a reliable grid, promote clean energy, and cut costs for local towns and school districts,”said Senator King.“TheBIDIRECTIONAL Actwill expand opportunities for school districts across Maine to transition to electric buses. Combined with electric bus investments from the Inflation Reduction Act, this bill will be an important step towards unlocking America’s clean energy future. It’s a simple, win-win bill and I hope it can get bipartisan support across Congress.”
TheBIDIRECTIONAL Actwould:
As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator King has advocated for climate solutions that support Maine communities, unlock America’s clean energy future, and strengthen national security. He has been one of the Senate’smost vocal advocatesfor improving energy storage technologies and development and worked to include significant storage investments in theBipartisan Infrastructure LawandInflation Reduction Act.
TheBIDIRECTIONAL Actis supported by Advanced Energy Economy, Blue Bird, bp Pulse Fleet (formerly Amply), Community Organization for Resource Efficiency (CORE), EDF, Electrification Coalition, Environment America, Highland Electric, Lion Electric, La Plata Electric Association, NRECA, Nuvve, PIRG, Proterra, and Xcel Energy. For quotes from supporting organizations,CLICK HERE.