Name: Turning buses into batteries is the future of energy
Uploaded: 2025-11-05T00:13:01.598Z
Duration: 2 min 16 s
Description: As global demand for electricity surges, researchers in Burnaby, B.C., are testing a new idea: what if vehicles could give power back to the grid instead of only taking it?

As global demand for electricity surges, researchers in Burnaby, B.C., are testing a new idea: what if vehicles could give power back to the grid instead of only taking it?

Burnaby

A pilot project in Burnaby, British Columbia, is using electric school buses equipped with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology to supply electricity back to the power grid during periods of high demand. These buses, when parked and not in use, can act as mobile batteries, supporting the grid, offsetting electrification costs, and providing backup power in emergencies.

The project, the first of its scale in Canada, utilizes smart chargers to manage two-way energy flow and has the potential to power up to 75 homes for two hours with just a few buses. Research indicates that V2G technology could meet up to 20% of Canada's new electricity demand over the next two decades, and similar initiatives are being adopted in other cities worldwide.

Turning buses into batteries is the future of energy

There's a looming energy crisis. From EVs to air conditioners to AI data centers, everything is plugging into power grids that weren't built for this kind of demand. But thanks to new technology, the same EV vehicles draining the grid could actually become power sources themselves. It's called Vehicle-to-Grid, or V2G, and it turns every parked electric bus, truck, or car into a mini power station. When these vehicles are idle in the evenings or in between shifts, they can feed their battery energy back into the grid, essentially borrowing power during the day and returning it when the system is stressed, like that 5 to 9 p.m. household demand or even during a blackout. In a pilot project in Burnaby, B.C., those mini power plants are bright yellow. This might look like a regular school bus, but it's not. This is both a school bus and a giant mobile battery. Our electric buses don't just draw power, they can also give back to the grid. This means that they can support B.C. Hydro during times of peak demand, help offset costs of electrification, and provide backup power when needed. Buses like the ones here at Lynch can power up to 75 homes for about two hours. Even just a couple buses parked by 5 p.m. is enough to carry a whole neighborhood through the evening peak before recharging overnight, ready for the morning run. Smart chargers made by a B.C. company called Fuse Power tell the bus when to pull energy and when to give it back, a genuine two-way street for electricity. And there's another perk. During peak hours when electricity is most expensive, cities can actually make money by selling that power back. That revenue helps offset the cost of electrifying fleets in the first place. The whole idea isn't new, but this is Canada's first large-scale field test. Research suggests V2G could meet up to 20% of Canada's new electricity demand in the next two decades. So it's not just Burnaby. Around the world, cities are adopting this technology. Experts say within a few years, vehicle-to-grid could go mainstream and private EVs could join in. Solving our energy crunch isn't just about building more power plants, it's about rethinking where energy lives and how to share it.

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