Illinois utility tries using electric school buses for bidirectional charging

Wauconda has had the two buses for three years, with two years of funding left. Rick Strauss, director of transportation for Wauconda, said that while he is hopeful for the success of the pilot, the electric buses have already posed significant challenges for the district, leading him to doubt whether the buses can effectively give back to the grid.

For example, Strauss said that the district will put an average of 10,000 miles on a diesel bus per year. “But after three years…