EVs and buses double as grid batteries and resilience tools

Across several states, electric vehicles—especially school buses—are being integrated into the power grid as mobile storage. Texas is testing second-life EV batteries to support its strained grid, while Arlington adds a third electric school bus as part of its carbon-neutral-by-2050 goals. A Maryland pilot will subsidize 28 electric school buses equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, and Massachusetts’ new Vehicle-to-Everything program will use bidirectional chargers to turn EVs into energy assets. Together, these efforts show how transportation electrification can also strengthen grid reliability, cut emissions, and open new revenue streams for fleets and utilities.