Wuxi buses become mobile power banks

Public buses equipped with vehicle-to-grid technology park at a bus depot in Wuxi. [Photo/Wuxi Daily]

The public buses in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, have been equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology at two bus depots in an innovative step.

This initiative enables buses to recharge during off-peak hours and discharge surplus electricity back to the grid during peak demand periods, thereby supporting the city's electricity needs during periods of high usage.

What makes buses ideal as mobile power banks for the grid? The secret lies in their operational schedule, which aligns perfectly with the city's electricity usage patterns.

"Summer and winter are peak electricity usage seasons, especially during the evening rush hour," said Wu Hansong from State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Co. "Buses operate during the day and return to the depot at night, leaving a substantial amount of residual energy in their batteries."

Wu added that centralized control allows them to supply power to the grid during peak times without affecting their operations the following day.

Currently, 80 buses across two sites are equipped with this technology. Early morning buses start their routes between 5 and 6 am, recharge during off-peak hours of 11 am to 1 pm, and after completing their daily routes, discharge electricity back to the grid in alternating shifts from 3 to 10 pm.

Each bus discharges nearly 80 kilowatt-hours per hour, participating in four hours of daily discharging. Together, the two sites can supply up to 3,200 kWh to the grid each day. With a peak-valley price difference of approximately 0.6 yuan ($0.08) per kWh, this yields about 1,920 yuan in revenue. Over a year, estimated earnings surpass 700,000 yuan.

Wuxi Public Transport plans to use this pilot project as a springboard to accelerate the large-scale implementation of V2G technology. In the future, they aim to integrate photovoltaics, energy storage, and other business models, transforming a vast fleet of new energy buses into distributed energy storage resources.