Electric Bus Depots Used To Support UK National Grid

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Someone once told me electric vehicles are just like gas vehicles but simply use electricity. This view is false for many reasons. Electric vehicles have many benefits, gas and diesel vehicles do not. The battery packs in electric vehicles can be used to supply electricity to local grids when EVs are not in use. Gas and diesel vehicles can not be used for this purpose. In the UK, First Bus is using electric bus depots for such grid support. There is also an added bonus, excess renewable electricity is also being better utilized. Some wind power in Scotland is generated but not used, so some of it is being used by the electric bus depots.

“Electric buses are already transforming public transport, but this trial shows that they have the ability to go even further: playing an active role in the UK’s energy system,” said Isabel McAllister, Chief Sustainability Officer for First Bus.

“We’ve built significant electric capacity across our depots, and the next step is using it more intelligently. By charging when the grid needs us to, we can help reduce wasted renewable energy, support system stability and improve the overall economics of electrification.”

While some people might see riding a bus and driving a car, SUV, or pickup truck as being sort of the same, just different modes of transportation, there is quite a startling insight many may not be aware of: “First Bus analysis of UK Government road accident data shows fatality rates are six times lower in buses than in cars.”

Replacing diesel buses with all-electric ones (not hybrids) reduces toxic air pollution on roadways and decreases generation of climate change emissions. Electric bus passengers and drivers are not exposed to any harmful diesel exhaust or fumes.

First Bus is the UK’s largest electric bus operator, with over 1,400 zero-emission vehicles in service. The company has a goal to use only zero-emissions buses by 2035. With over 1,400 zero-emissions buses in operation, that means a whole lot of energy storage in their battery packs might be used to support grid backup and flexibility. Far more electric buses may be added to the fleet in the coming years, meaning there will likely be even more energy storage available. Further, once electric vehicle battery packs have served their electric vehicle lives, they may also be used in a second-life purpose as stationary energy storage.

On a personal level, some individuals may conceive of their “dream car” as a Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Cadillac, Tesla, etc. However, a rational person who studied the subject matter carefully might say: an electric bus.