Driving the Grid Forward: Updates from ComEd’s Vehicle-to-Grid Pilot

Electric vehicles (EVs) are no longer just a clean way to get from point A to point B—they’re becoming active partners in powering a smarter, more flexible grid.

Resource Innovations has been supporting ComEd’s Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot with our partner, Nuvve Holding Corp., to test the use of electric school buses as dynamic grid resources.

Driving Innovation at the Grid Edge

This first-of-its-kind initiative in northern Illinois explores how bidirectional charging can enhance energy optimization, support grid stability, and create new ways for customers to potentially lower their energy costs during peak demand periods.

The V2G pilot is designed to test the real-world potential of bidirectional charging—allowing electric school buses to not only draw energy for charging but also discharge it back to the grid to support demand.

With smart, bidirectional chargers and seamless communication between the vehicle and grid, V2G can transform an EV into a flexible energy asset. This innovation not only supports a cleaner, more resilient energy system but also offers potential savings and new opportunities for customers to manage energy use on their terms.

Pilot Progress and Early Insights 

The pilot includes three Illinois school districts—River Trails, Troy, and Wauconda—all of which were existing Nuvve charging customers equipped with V2G-capable electric school buses and chargers prior to the program’s launch. Their early adoption and operational experience made them ideal participants to evaluate and showcase real-world V2G applications.

The pilot has reached an exciting stage, with initial fleets now engaging in active testing. This testing phase focuses on collecting and analyzing data from these advanced chargers to evaluate the safe and effective discharge of energy from electric school buses back to the grid.

The testing phase is already generating valuable insights about how EVs can function as distributed energy resources (DERs). Early findings show measurable benefits for both utilities and participants, including reduced peak demand, improved load flexibility, and increased opportunities to leverage renewable generation.

V2G in Action at River Trails

Beyond technology, this project is about people, and empowering schools and communities to become active contributors to a cleaner, more resilient grid. By turning school buses into grid assets, ComEd and its partners are showing how innovation can benefit customers, the environment, and the next generation. 

ComEd offered school districts a unique opportunity to learn directly from a district participating in the pilot. River Trails School District hosted the Peer-to-Peer V2G Showcase & Networking Event, where attendees explored the potential benefits of V2G for their schools, toured a net-zero school, participated in a Q&A session, and watched a live V2G demonstration as an electric school bus sent energy back to the grid. 

Looking Ahead

With the pilot wrapping up at year’s end, we look forward to sharing a case study that showcases the outcomes, insights, and real-world impact of this innovative V2G program.

At Resource Innovations, we see V2G as a bridge between transportation and energy systems, unlocking new ways to enhance reliability, reduce emissions, and engage customers in the clean energy transition.

“Working with ComEd and the three school districts has been incredibly insightful,” said Chris Crockett, Fleet Electrification Lead at Resource Innovations, after the Peer-to-Peer event. “But we’re just getting started. This has been something akin to a technology demonstration. Now we want to see how this can grow into full-fledged programs. I hope to help more utilities think through this.”

Explore how Resource Innovations can help you implement cutting-edge grid solutions and accelerate the move toward a cleaner, more resilient energy system.