Giving Back
An emerging trend has been to reuse the power of Electric Vehicles (EVs); instead of owners and the cars themselves just juicing up from the grid, some places have started to allow EV owners to give back to the power grid that powers them.
California has always been a forward-thinking, environmentally minded state, and is one of the first to implement vehicle-to-grid power sharing, or what is also known as vehicle-to-everything (V2X). News has just broken that the state is now expanding the V2X program to more brands and owners.
Expanding V2X
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) just announced that it is adding new EVs and charger options through partnerships with Bidirectional Energy and PowerFlex. The expanded V2X program now includes EVs from brands like Kia, Polestar, Volvo, Nissan, and a new model from GM: the Chevy Bolt. These new brands and models join the already existing eligibility list that includes Ford, Tesla, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac.
V2X, as explained by PG&E, essentially gives EV owners the power to use their car’s battery power to: provide backup power to their home during outages, help manage household energy costs, send power back to the grid during periods of high electricity demand, and support overall grid reliability. In other words, you can use your EV as a big power bank not just to charge appliances, but V2X will make it possible to keep your home powered up should the need arise.
Kia
Paid Power Suppliers
Joining PG&E’s V2X ecosystem by giving power back to the grid isn’t just a gesture of goodwill. An incentive program is being offered until June 2027. Residential owners can get up to $2,500 in incentives, which goes up to $3,000 if they live in disadvantaged areas. If you’re part of the first 250 customers, there is also an additional $1,500 early adopter fee. Business owners can also partake in the incentive program, with incentives worth up to $4,500, increasing to $5,000 for those in disadvantaged areas.
Of course, before owners actually sign up, it’s important to note that the system isn’t just plug-and-play; PG&E does have a full list of eligible cars and chargers that can enable you to properly do V2X and take part in the incentive program. With energy a major talking point these days, the more V2X-capable states and cars there are, the more they ease the burden on the nation’s energy grid.
