May 12 2026

The bidirectional charging industry is entering a new phase. For years, critical work has focused on building the technical and regulatory foundation for vehicle grid integration: ISO 15118, SAE J3072, UL certifications, grid codes, OCPP, and the broader architecture required to enable electric vehicles to function as grid resources. That focus has been essential. Without common standards, there is no credible pathway to scale.

But a more practical understanding is beginning to take hold. Standards are essential, but they do not translate automatically into systems that work together in the field. They establish a shared technical language, but they do not guarantee that every vehicle, charger, backend system, and grid interface will interpret and implement that language in the same way.

That distinction is now emerging as one of the most important barriers to scaling vehicle-to-grid. Products can be designed around the same standard and still fail to operate together in the field. The issue is not simply whether ISO 15118-20 exists, but whether manufacturers implement it consistently enough for real-world, multi-vendor systems to work together reliably in the field.

This is where interoperability testing becomes critical. As one industry expert explained, bidirectional charging issues do not fully appear when testing occurs with a single vendor or in a tightly controlled lab setting. They emerge when different OEMs, chargers, and system components are brought together and asked to operate as they would in the field.

The author gratefully acknowledges CharIN Technical Project Manager Semih Tetik and Task 53 North America Representative Bjoern Christensen for their insights on interoperability testing and the efforts of their respective organizations. Any errors or omissions in this article remain the sole responsibility of the author.

May 12, 2026

The transition from electric vehicles as passive load to active grid resources is no longer theoretical. Across multiple markets, pilot programs and early deployments have demonstrated that EVs can shift load, provide backup power, and export energy back to the grid. Yet despite this progress, the industry continues to struggle with a fundamental challenge: moving from controlled pilot environments to scalable, real world deployment.

A new report from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Charging Ahead: Unlocking Vehicle Grid Integration in Canada, arrives at precisely this moment. It evaluates the full spectrum of vehicle grid integration applications, from managed charging to bidirectional export, but its most important contribution is not descriptive. It is diagnostic. The report explains, with unusual clarity, why the most advanced and valuable forms of VGI, particularly bidirectional charging, remain difficult to scale despite clear technical readiness.

Pacific Power Source has launched a new automated compliance testing platform designed to accelerate certification of solar inverters, bidirectional EV chargers, and other distributed energy resources under standards including IEEE 1547.1 and UL 1741 SB. The SmartTS-PV system integrates grid simulation hardware, measurement systems, and automated pass/fail software into a single platform intended to reduce the complexity and time associated with grid support function testing. The announcement highlights a growing challenge for the bidirectional charging industry: as discussed in this issue of V2G News and earlier editions, certification and validation infrastructure may become a critical bottleneck as utilities increasingly require V2G capable systems to meet advanced interconnection standards. According to the companies involved, the platform could reduce testing timelines from months to days, underscoring the broader industry push toward scalable and repeatable validation processes for grid connected DER technologies.

4/30/2026

The Mobility House and Wallbox announced what they describe as the first residential bidirectional charger interconnected in San Diego County using a Kia EV9 and Wallbox Quasar 2 charger. While modest in scale, the project highlights one of the most important challenges facing residential bidirectional charging in the United States: utility interconnection. According to The Mobility House, the system was approved not only for home energy management, but also for exporting power to the grid, underscoring the growing shift from simple backup power applications toward fully grid connected V2G systems. The project also reflects the increasing importance of interoperability between automakers, chargers, utilities, and aggregators as the industry attempts to move beyond pilots toward scalable residential deployment.

5/8/2026

In a recent interview with Factor This, ChargeScape CEO Joseph Vellone argued that automakers must play a central role in scaling vehicle-grid integration programs. ChargeScape, the joint venture backed by BMW, Ford, Honda, and Nissan, is working with utilities across the United States on managed charging, vehicle-to-home, and vehicle-to-grid programs designed to turn EVs into flexible grid assets. Vellone pointed to initiatives in Texas, Washington, and California that use EVs to reduce grid strain, provide backup power, and export electricity back to the grid. He also emphasized that direct integration with automakers is essential for scaling VGI because automakers control vehicle systems, customer relationships, and key battery and charging data needed to support grid programs at scale.

5/5/2026

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has elevated vehicle-to-grid power export to a high priority issue in its latest electric vehicle standards review, signaling growing recognition that bidirectional charging is moving from emerging technology toward broader deployment. In its 2026 progress report, ANSI’s Electric Vehicles Standards Panel also raised concerns around EV fire protection in older buildings and cable management at public charging stations, identifying all three as areas requiring coordinated industry action. The inclusion of power export as a top priority reflects the increasing importance of standards and safety frameworks needed to support V2G applications as utilities, automakers, and charging providers continue expanding bidirectional charging programs across the United States.

5/1/2025

A new study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina examines how shared electric vehicle fleets could function as flexible grid resources in rapidly growing urban markets. Focusing on Bangkok, Thailand, the research evaluates whether carsharing fleets could use vehicle-to-grid technology to charge during periods of low demand and export electricity back to the grid during peak periods. Using Monte Carlo simulation to model thousands of operating scenarios, the study found that shared fleets may be particularly well suited for V2G participation because vehicles often remain parked and connected for extended periods. The findings also reinforce a broader theme emerging across the V2G sector: creating effective tariff structures and compensation mechanisms will be essential to unlocking participation and scaling grid integrated EV fleets.

5/6/2026

We Drive Solar and Last Mile Solutions are expanding one of Europe’s most advanced vehicle-to-grid deployments in the Netherlands, moving from early pilots toward large scale integration aimed at reducing grid congestion. The initiative, which began with a 20 charger pilot in Utrecht in 2016, now includes hundreds of shared Renault EVs and approximately 650 bidirectional charging points across Utrecht and Eindhoven. According to the companies, the deployment could help reduce peak demand on the local grid by nearly 5 MW, roughly equivalent to the peak consumption of 5,000 households. The project also highlights the growing importance of software platforms and coordinated control systems in scaling V2G, as the system relies on real time communication between vehicles, charging stations, and grid management platforms to align charging, discharging, and energy settlement.

5/2/2026

MAN Truck & Bus has demonstrated bidirectional charging with its eTGX heavy duty electric truck under real world conditions, becoming the first European commercial vehicle manufacturer to showcase the capability as part of a research project. The demonstration highlights the growing potential for medium and heavy duty EVs to function not only as transportation assets, but also as large mobile energy storage systems capable of supporting vehicle-to-site, vehicle-to-vehicle, and eventually vehicle-to-grid applications. With a 480 kWh battery, the truck could help reduce peak demand, increase utilization of onsite solar generation, and potentially provide grid services during periods of high electricity demand. The project also reflects increasing interest in the role commercial fleets could play in energy markets, particularly as larger vehicle batteries create new opportunities for flexible demand and distributed energy integration.

4/28/2026