AMPLY Power and UES Partner to Deliver Vehicle-to-Grid Ready Electric School Buses and Trucks

The partnership combines Unique Electric Solutions’ re-powering technology to transform ICE vehicles to electric, complete with Rhombus Energy’s V2G system, and AMPLY’s Charging-as-a-Service solution

Evolving its e-mobility charging solutions with vehicle-to-grid capabilities, AMPLY Power is partnering with UES (Unique Electric Solutions) to offer a comprehensive fleet electrification solution primed for the wave of V2G (vehicle-to-grid) opportunities being pursued by utilities and end customers. The universal solution includes the repowering of existing ICE (internal combustion engine) trucks and buses with electric powertrains, charge management services, a V2G bi-directional EV charging system from Rhombus Energy Solutions, and baked-in coordination with the local utility. The companies are deploying their joint solution for the Logan Bus Company, the largest school bus provider for the New York City Department of Education. 

“The future of resilient electric vehicle infrastructure must include V2G capabilities. It can help fleet operators be more energy resilient and achieve greater cost-savings, while strengthening their local grids,” said Vic Shao, CEO of AMPLY Power.  

A report by Precedence Research predicts that the global V2G technology market is expected to grow at a compound rate of 48% between 2020 to 2027. The concept enables bi-directional and controllable electrical energy flow among vehicles and the local electrical grid for the benefit of both parties. Beyond serving as a virtual power plant that utilities and owners can utilize in times of need (such as power outages or times of high prices due to increased demand), bi-directional charging can help fleets and grids balance their electricity demand and act as storage for renewable energy generation.   

“Logan is very excited to be a part of this project. Vehicle-to-grid will be imperative for electric school bus operations to scale,” explained Corey Muirhead, Executive Vice President of Logan Bus. “V2G provides much-needed cost savings to the contractor while simultaneously allowing us to provide power back to the grid, thus reducing brownouts and helping our community during emergency events.”

The AMPLY Power, UES, and Rhombus Energy Solutions alliance allow fleets to take advantage of all of the benefits of electrification with less upfront capital and less risk. The economics of V2G will be on display in the Logan Bus project. By integrating these solutions into AMPLY’s Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) model, the project is set up to capture the cost reductions beyond what electrification via repowering can bring. 

“With today’s climate protection goals set by local, state, and federal governments, we need to rapidly replace fossil-fueled vehicles with zero-emission vehicles. This speedy conversion can present issues for organizations that have limited resources. However, the UES re-power option provides fleets with a lower cost and low-risk option to deploy EVs,” Shao continued.

UES has a seven-step process for repowering vehicles. It entails vehicle and route assessment, charging assessment, and after-sales support, making the repowering as reliable and low risk as purchasing a new vehicle. Additionally, operating these electric vehicles can cost fleet operators one-third of the OpEx cost compared with diesel. Combining UES’s repowering technology with AMPLY’s charge management software, operators can achieve higher efficiency and realize significant cost savings. 

“The higher initial price tag of EVs compared to that of internal combustion vehicles can be challenging for many fleet operators. However, when looking at the economics of fueling, maintenance, and operating costs, electric is more affordable than maintaining them as diesel-fueled vehicles,” said Joe Ambrosio, CEO at UES. “Additionally, by deploying our re-powering strategy, where we retrofit the powertrain and keep the existing chassis, we can save operators even more time and money by providing all the reduced operating costs and emissions of a new electric vehicle but at a fraction of the price.”

“To see the massive evolution of bi-directional charging in the U.S. has been a pleasure to witness, and our recent completion of the UL 1741-SA certification for our Rhombus 125kW DC fast charger will meet the needs of fleet operators in a new way that will continue to forge a path to mass fleet electrification,” said CEO of Rhombus Energy Solutions Rick Sander. “Knowing that our American-made products are pioneering change and ushering in a new era of EV through V2G technology is an honor, and we look forward to doing our part in pushing V2G to the forefront of adoption.”

AMPLY’s CaaS model simplifies the transition to EVs for fleets by assuming end-to-end responsibility for all vehicle charging needs, from cloud-based system design to installing local site controllers. Its proprietary back-end software and operational methods drive utility costs down by optimizing EV charging and other energy use at both public and private depots. Combining this process with utility service upgrades as-needed enables Logan Bus to further scale its electric bus deployments.

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