California legislation: Electric vehicles must have V2G charging capabilities

California legislation: Electric vehicles must have V2G charging capabilities

This indicates that widespread adoption of V2G functionality in CCS1-standard electric vehicles and charging points has become a market necessity.

Additionally, in May, Maryland enacted a clean energy package to stimulate residential and commercial solar adoption, aiming to meet the state’s requirement for solar power to account for 14.5% of total generation by 2028.

Shortly after Maryland’s package, a Colorado law mandated the state’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, to establish a performance-based compensation tariff VPP programme by February, while implementing measures to streamline grid interconnection processes and upgrade distribution networks to alleviate capacity constraints.

Xcel and Fermata Energy are also pursuing a potentially pioneering bidirectional EV charging pilot programme in Boulder, Colorado. This initiative will advance Xcel’s understanding of the regulatory implications and resilience benefits of bidirectional charging assets.

What is V2G technology? V2G, or Vehicle-to-Grid, is an innovative technology enabling electric vehicles (EVs) to engage in bidirectional energy exchange with the grid. At its core, this technology allows EVs not only to draw power from the grid for charging but also to feed stored energy back into the grid when required, thereby facilitating two-way energy flow.

Key Advantages of V2G Technology

Enhanced Grid Flexibility: V2G technology utilises electric vehicle batteries as grid buffers, supplying power during peak demand periods to assist in load balancing. This improves grid stability and reliability.

Promoting Renewable Energy Integration: V2G enables the storage of surplus wind and solar energy, reducing waste from renewable sources and supporting their broader adoption and integration.

Economic benefits: EV owners can earn additional income by selling electricity back to the grid, thereby reducing ownership costs. Simultaneously, grid operators can lower operational expenses through V2G technology.

Participation in energy markets: V2G enables EVs to engage in energy markets, generating economic incentives for owners through energy trading and enhancing the efficiency of the entire energy system.

V2G technology applications overseas Multiple countries and regions globally are researching and implementing V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) technology.

Examples include:

In the United States, beyond California’s legislative framework, other states such as Virginia are advancing V2G development to bolster grid stability and renewable energy integration. Vehicles including the Nissan Leaf and Ford F-150 Lightning already support V2G, while Tesla has announced plans to equip all its vehicles with bidirectional charging capability by 2025. Germany’s ‘Bidirektionales Lademanagement – BDL’ project investigates how bidirectional electric vehicles can integrate with energy systems, aiming to enhance grid stability and maximise renewable energy utilisation. The UK’s ‘Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid’ project investigates how V2G charging interacts with the grid and delivers services to it. The Dutch “PowerParking” initiative utilises solar carports to charge electric vehicles while exploring V2G applications in smart energy management. Australia’s ‘Realising Electric Vehicles-to-grid Services (REVS)’ demonstrates how EVs can provide frequency control services to the grid via V2G technology. Portugal’s ‘Azores’ project tested V2G technology in the Azores, utilising electric vehicle batteries to store energy during night-time wind power surpluses. Sweden’s ‘V2X Suisse’ project explored V2G applications within vehicle fleets and how V2G could deliver flexibility services to the grid. The Paker project, a collaboration between the Technical University of Denmark and Nissan, utilised electric vehicles to provide frequency regulation services, demonstrating the commercial potential of private EVs delivering frequency regulation during overnight parking periods. At Oslo Airport in Norway, V2G charging points and V2G-certified vehicles (such as the Nissan Leaf) have been continuously engaged in pilot studies. This is used to estimate the flexibility potential of EV batteries. Japan and South Korea are also advancing V2G technology development: Japan’s KEPCO has developed a V2G system enabling electric vehicles to supply power to the grid during peak demand periods. Research into V2G technology by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) aims to optimise grid power supply through electric vehicle battery storage systems. The market size for its vehicle-grid integration technology and services is projected to reach US$700 million (₩747 billion) by 2026. Hyundai Mobis has also become the first company in South Korea to gain approval for a bidirectional charger via the V2G test bench.