Illinois Utility Pilots Vehicle-to-Grid Program With Electric School Buses

Inside Climate News · By Sarah Mattalian · last updated October 3, 2025 – 1:02 AM

The program will test whether the buses can supply energy back to the grid, potentially benefitting both school districts and electric customers.

By Sarah Mattalian

The largest electric utility in Illinois is rolling out a program for a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric school bus–charging pilot with three Chicagoland school districts, testing the functionality of bidirectional chargers that could make energy cheaper for customers and reduce grid load.

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