The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) is the prime recipient and project manager of a grant to support a “vehicle-to-building” (V2B) solution that will give transit buses the capability to act as on-demand, mobile, electrical power generators to support critical loads during emergencies, disasters, and power outages. The project will retrofit one battery electric bus (BEB) and one fuel cell electric bus (FCEB) to enable power export. The project will also install bidirectional chargers supplied by the Mobility House (THM) at AC Transit’s Hayward Depot and St. Mary’s Center in West Oakland. The project addresses the state’s resilience objectives and increases the value proposition of electric vehicle and fuel cell electric vehicle ownership and operation, specifically for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles per California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge program goals.
The project plans to complete site upgrades and perform V2B demonstrations at two locations: AC Transit’s Hayward bus depot for a maintenance facility tie-in to ensure its fleet can meet minimum service requirements during an emergency, and St. Mary’s Center in West Oakland to serve as a resilience hub and community shelter in the event of an emergency.
CTE is serving as overall project manager, coordinating key deliverables and managing the project schedule and budget. CTE will also lead performance monitoring throughout the demonstrations.
Schneider Electric will complete infrastructure design and integration, charger installation, new switchboard installation, trenching and backfill, power monitoring sensors installation, and site commissioning. AC Transit is the owner of both the BEB and FCEB that will be modified by New Flyer for bus exportable power system capabilities. TMH will provide the chargers and its Charge Pilot kit intended to manage energy transfer. West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project is the project’s designated community-based organization and will lead all education and outreach activities. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission will support emergency response operations planning, outreach, and knowledge transfer activities.
