2027 Event Agenda

The rapid growth of electric vehicle (EV) fleets presents both opportunities and challenges for grid operators. This session will explore a pioneering partnership between Portland General Electric (PGE), a leading utility, First Student, one of the largest school transportation providers, and Blue Bird Corporation (Blue Bird), a leading manufacturer of school buses to demonstrate and scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology using electric school buses.

This panel will feature Luke Whittemore (PGE), Alex Cook (First Student), Nate Hawbaker (Blue Bird), and Marlene Biehl (Heliox, A Siemens Business), who will share their real-world experiences from the Gresham pilot project. They will discuss the critical role of open standards like ISO 15118-20 in achieving interoperability and scalability, and the lessons learned from overcoming technical hurdles in one of the first applications of this new standard. The panelists will also detail how the insights gained from this pilot are paving the way to grow this into a large-scale V2G program and expand across broader fleets of school buses. The discussion will highlight the essential nature of a collaborative partnership between utility, fleet operator, and charging infrastructure provider (Heliox) to successfully integrate and optimize V2G technology.

PGE initiated this project through their Electric School Bus Fund, funding electric buses and charging infrastructure, driven by an interest in leveraging bidirectional charging as a distributed energy resource (DER). The utility aims to understand the scalability of V2G systems, specifically their potential to support grid constraints during peak times and enhance overall reliability and resiliency, using the insights from this pilot to directly inform their V2G strategy and shape the development of future programs.

Motivated by sustainability goals, operational benefits for students, and the potential for new revenue streams, First Student partnered with PGE to explore how V2G can provide a return on investment for their fleet electrification efforts.

Blue Bird also partnered with PGE on this project with their goals focused on ISO 15118-20 compliance testing, securing TLS certificate exchange to enable standards-based interoperability, and validation of reliable vehicle startup and bidirectional discharge performance at higher states of charge. These efforts are essential to ensuring secure, scalable, and real-world V2G functionality across electric school bus deployments.

Attendees will gain insights into:

• How utilities can strategically invest in V2G pilots to inform scalable programs and grid planning
• The operational and financial benefits for fleet operators participating in V2G initiatives
• Technical advancements and real-world challenges in deploying V2G, including ISO 15118-20implementation and secure communications (TLS certificate exchange)
• The role of OEM innovation in enabling interoperability, compliance, and reliable bidirectional performance
• The importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in accelerating transportation electrification and grid modernization
• This session will go beyond high-level concepts to provide a focused, technical examination of a successful V2G implementation, offering actionable insights for utilities and fleet operators seeking to unlock the full potential of electric school buses for grid support and economic value creation.