By Michael Elkins
American automaker, General Motors (NYSE:GM) along with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced today that they have entered an agreement to investigate the feasibility of integrating bidirectional EVs into the electric grid as a local energy resource. The study will examine the hardware, software, processes, and construction considerations necessary to accelerate wider adoption of Vehicle-to-Grid Integration (VGI) capabilities.
Under the new agreement, GM and SDG&E will study three VGI capabilities: Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), and a Virtual Power Plant, which can leverage distributed energy resources such as EVs, batteries, and chargers to help the grid meet demand.
“Through GM Energy, working with companies like SDG&E will play an important role in accelerating new technology and energy management solutions to market for customers,” said GM Vice President of EV Growth Operations Travis Hester. “As GM continues on its journey towards an all-electric future, expanding the capabilities of EVs represents a significant opportunity to help strengthen grid resiliency and mitigate the impact of disruptions.”
According to research from University of California Los Angeles professor Donald Shoup, the average car is parked for 95% of its useful life. California is home to 1.2 million electric vehicles, the largest concentration of electric vehicles in the United States.
“Bidirectional charging holds tremendous potential for increasing the country’s energy security and grid reliability in addition to supporting economic opportunities for communities throughout the nation,” said U.S. Department of Energy Office of Technology Transitions Commercialization Executive Rima Oueid. “We are excited to see yet another V2X initiative undertaken by our MOU partners to accelerate adoption of this innovative technology.”
Shares of GM are up 4.83% near end of day trading on Thursday.