The town has announced it is taking another step in its journey of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
In compliance with its Zero Emission Vehicle First policy (which requires all vehicles needing to be replaced prioritize zero-emission technologies), Arlington has secured a new electric school bus, bringing the school district fleet to a total of three. According to a recent town release, the new electric school
bus is expected to be commissioned later this month.
In anticipation of this, the town has also announced it will participate in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Demonstration program.
This pilot program will test the viability of bi-directional charging stations to support a more resilient grid and lower energy bills. Through this, a charging station will be granted to the town at no cost, and will be installed at the Ed Burns Arena & Skating Rink to charge the third electric school bus.
The bi-directional charging stations enable electric vehicle (EV) batteries to both obtain and return electricity from electric grids or buildings. This exchange provides backup power to these vehicles in the case of electrical outages, reducing stress on the electric grid during times of peak demand. This would potentially help prevent outages in the first place, according to the town release.
“The Town is excited to be piloting this cutting-edge EV charging technology,” said Arlington Town Manager Jim Feeney. “We are grateful to MassCEC for this opportunity to work toward lowering the Town’s energy costs while contributing to local and regional energy resilience goals.”
The town expects the new arena charging station to be operational by summer 2026.
Additional details are here.
This news item, published Feb. 25, 2026, was written using information provided by the town of Arlington.
