Project Background
Recharge-OK is a National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC 3.0) project led by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (Award No. 2527318). The project responds to a growing need across Oklahoma: strengthening community preparedness and energy resilience in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events.
Tornadoes, ice storms, and extreme heat have led to more frequent and prolonged power outages, disrupting schools, emergency services, and daily life. Recharge-OK explores practical, community-centered solutions that leverage existing public assets to improve local energy reliability.
Why Electric School Buses?
Electric school buses (ESBs) are primarily used for student transportation, but they also contain large onboard batteries. When equipped with bidirectional charging technology — known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) — these buses can store electricity and send power back to the grid during emergencies or periods of peak demand.
Recharge-OK investigates how school buses can serve as mobile energy resources that support communities during outages while continuing to meet transportation needs.
What the Project Does
Recharge-OK brings together researchers, schools, utilities, and civic partners to:
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Pilot V2G-enabled electric school buses in Shawnee, Oklahoma
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Evaluate how buses can provide backup power during outages
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Reduce peak electricity demand and improve grid stability
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Develop a digital platform that visualizes energy performance and system impact
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Explore scalable policy and economic models to support adoption across other communities
The project integrates real-world deployment with data-driven analysis to ensure that solutions are both technically feasible and community-informed.
Community-Centered Approach
Recharge-OK emphasizes collaboration and local engagement. Community members, school administrators, utilities, and regional planning entities provide input on project priorities and implementation strategies. Public workshops, student engagement activities, and ongoing stakeholder meetings ensure that the project reflects local needs and operational realities.
This collaborative approach strengthens trust, improves transparency, and supports long-term adoption of resilient energy solutions.
Long-Term Impact
Recharge-OK aims to demonstrate how public-sector assets — such as school transportation fleets — can enhance infrastructure resilience without requiring entirely new capital systems.
Findings from this pilot will inform:
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Energy planning strategies
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Disaster preparedness models
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Utility coordination frameworks
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Future municipal deployments of V2G technology
By combining research, community engagement, and practical implementation, Recharge-OK seeks to build a scalable model for energy resilience in Oklahoma and beyond.