June 23, 2026

In Part One of this two-part series, we argued that electric vehicles should be understood as more than transportation devices and more than flexible load. As bidirectional charging expands, EVs can become part of a broader storage ecosystem that supports the energy transition. The resource is large, growing quickly, and being financed primarily by the transportation sector rather than by electric utility customers.

That matters because the energy transition is no longer an abstract policy goal. It is showing up in utility load forecasts, interconnection queues, renewable energy deployment, distribution system constraints, customer adoption trends, and the daily operating realities of the grid. A system with more variable renewable generation, more electrified load, more distributed energy resources, and greater resilience needs will require flexible resources that can be coordinated across the bulk power system, distribution grid, customer sites, and the mobility sector.

Bidirectional charging can help meet that need, but scale alone does not make a grid resource useful.

The next question is how to characterize this resource in operational terms. Where is it located? When is it available? How predictable is it? How much energy can it provide, for how long, and under what conditions? Most importantly, how can this mobile and distributed resource be dispatched alongside traditional grid resources?

These questions define the next phase of bidirectional charging in the energy transition. The value proposition is no longer just about the theoretical battery capacity parked in driveways, depots, school bus lots, and workplace parking areas. The issue now is how to turn a large and diverse set of mobile batteries into a manageable, dependable, and economically valuable grid asset.

June 23, 2026

Bidirectional charging is moving from an early-stage technology conversation to a standards, certification, and grid integration conversation. For years, the industry has focused on what vehicle-to-grid can do: provide backup power, reduce peak demand, support resilience, absorb renewable energy, and turn parked electric vehicles into flexible storage resources. Those use cases remain central, but the next phase of market development depends on something less visible and just as important: the standards architecture that allows utilities, automakers, charger manufacturers, aggregators, regulators, and customers to trust that these systems can operate safely and reliably at scale.

A new UL Solutions report, Vehicle-one-Grid and Vehicle-to-Everything Standards: New Requirements for Smart and Bidirectional EV Charging, provides a useful snapshot of that emerging architecture. The report is not a market forecast or a policy roadmap. It is more valuable as a technical guide to the standards, certification pathways, and grid-code requirements that are beginning to define how smart charging and bidirectional charging systems will be evaluated in different markets.

The industry does not lack enthusiasm for bidirectional charging. It lacks common, scalable pathways for moving from pilots to repeatable deployment. Standards are not the only barrier, but they are quickly becoming one of the central market-enabling conditions.

CleanTechnica reports that General Motors is activating vehicle-to-grid capability for existing customers using GM Energy’s bidirectional hardware, with no new hardware required where utility programs support export. GM says more than 250,000 bidirectional-capable EVs are already on U.S. roads and argues that these parked vehicles represent a large, underutilized distributed storage resource. In an open letter to utility executives and energy policymakers, GM Energy Vice President Wade Sheffer framed V2G as a practical response to growing grid pressure from extreme weather, rising electricity demand, and the rapid expansion of AI data centers. GM estimates that its current fleet of bidirectional-capable vehicles has enough theoretical storage capacity to help power 120,000 homes for up to one week, while emphasizing that the value of this resource depends on utility programs, interconnection, and customer participation.

The announcement builds on GM’s broader push to position EVs as grid assets, including testing with DTE Energy in Michigan and a vision with PG&E in California that could involve more than 52,000 GM EVs in grid-balancing programs by 2030. GM is calling for closer collaboration among automakers, utilities, and regulators around three practical priorities: streamlined customer enrollment, modernized tariffs that compensate EV owners for grid support, and simpler interconnection pathways for bidirectional chargers. The significance of the announcement is not only that GM is enabling V2G functionality for existing customers, but that one of the largest U.S. automakers is openly asking utilities and regulators to treat parked EVs as distributed energy assets. The technology may be increasingly ready, but the pace of deployment will depend on whether programs, rates, and interconnection processes can catch up.

6/9/2026

MotorTrend’s review of the forthcoming 2027 Rivian R2 highlights a wide range of new features, including a redesigned sound system, dual gloveboxes, new software architecture, expanded autonomy capabilities, and a rooftop tent powered by the vehicle battery. Most notable for the V2G community, the R2 is expected to be Rivian’s first vehicle with vehicle-to-grid capability, allowing the battery to send power back to the grid or a local utility where supported. The article also notes Rivian’s Field Outlet accessory, which connects to the R2’s NACS charge port and allows the vehicle battery to power tools, electronics, camping equipment, or tailgating loads. The R2’s new power electronics architecture, including a bidirectional charger integrated into a streamlined housing, suggests that Rivian is treating bidirectional capability as part of the vehicle’s core design rather than an add-on feature.

6/9/2026

Canary Media reports that Massachusetts’ statewide V2X demonstration program will begin exporting power to the grid this summer, starting with three electric school buses in the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District. The buses will charge overnight and discharge during late-afternoon grid events, helping test how bidirectional EVs can reduce peak demand, lower emissions, and generate revenue for participants. The broader MassCEC pilot includes school districts, municipalities, and residential customers across 10 utilities, six charger types, and eight vehicle models. The article highlights several early lessons, including the need for durable compensation models, the high cost of residential systems, and the unexpected challenge of integrating bidirectional EVs with existing rooftop solar and net-metering incentives. It also notes that interconnection has been less of a barrier than expected and references VGIC’s view that virtual power plant structures may provide a better long-term framework for coordinating EVs, solar, batteries, and other distributed resources.

6/3/2026

Rivian and ChargeScape have announced a partnership that will allow Rivian EV owners to participate in ChargeScape-managed utility programs across the United States. The collaboration is especially notable as Rivian prepares to launch the R2, which is expected to support bidirectional charging out of the box. ChargeScape, jointly owned by BMW, Ford, Nissan, and Honda, is developing a shared platform for automakers to connect EV customers with managed charging and vehicle-to-grid programs. The partnership signals growing momentum behind OEM-backed aggregation models that can help EV owners earn financial benefits while allowing utilities to use parked vehicles as flexible grid resources.

6/16/2026

Canary Media profiles Bidirectional Energy CEO Frances Bell, who was previously featured in a V2G News interview, and the company’s work with Wallbox to deploy residential bidirectional charging in California. The 120-home pilot, funded by the California Energy Commission, pairs the Kia EV9 with the Wallbox Quasar 2 bidirectional DC charger to demonstrate how EVs can support home backup, reduce household utility bills, and export power to the grid during demand response events. The article highlights Bell’s own Oakland home as one of the early installations and underscores that the project is focused not simply on proving the technology, but on developing the permitting, installation, and interconnection processes needed to move residential bidirectional charging beyond small demonstrations and toward scalable deployment.

6/9/2026

TipRanks reports that Star Charge is expanding its global smart energy footprint through new partnerships, certifications, and V2G milestones across Asia, Europe, and Australia. The company’s recent activity includes a strategic framework with Solar Juice in Australia focused on PV-storage-charging and virtual power plant projects, continued participation in Amber Electric’s “Battery on Wheels” V2G trial, and a successful Halo bidirectional DC charger demonstration with Hyundai using the ISO 15118-20 standard. Star Charge also highlighted its broader charging, storage, and energy management capabilities, including large-scale battery systems, high-power DC charging, and a platform in China that reportedly manages more than 3 million charging points. The developments suggest that Star Charge is positioning bidirectional charging as part of a larger smart energy platform that combines EV charging, storage, software, and grid services.

6/20/2026

Zaptec argues that airport car parks and transport hubs could become strategic energy assets as EV adoption grows and bidirectional charging matures. The company points to its large-scale charging deployment at Oslo Airport Gardermoen, where hundreds of parking bays use advanced load and phase balancing, as an example of how airport charging infrastructure can be designed today for future V2G integration. With travelers often leaving vehicles parked for extended periods, airport car parks could eventually provide a distributed energy reserve that helps reduce peak demand, support flexibility services, improve resilience, and export power back to the grid when valuable. The article frames V2G-ready airport infrastructure as part of a broader global opportunity to turn long-dwell parking sites into grid-balancing energy hubs.

6/17/2026

The Driven reports that Hyundai has completed what it describes as Australia’s first vehicle-to-grid discharge using the ISO 15118-20 communication protocol. The test used a Hyundai Ioniq 9 and a StarCharge Halo 7.4 kW bidirectional DC charger that is Clean Energy Council approved and compliant with Australia’s AS/NZS 4777.2 home battery standard. The milestone is important because Australia adopted national V2G and V2H standards in 2024, and vehicle manufacturer approval and warranty treatment remain key barriers to broader deployment. Hyundai says the Ioniq 9, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and future Ioniq platforms are under evaluation or development for V2G in Australia, though no commercial launch date has been announced. The article frames the successful test as another sign that V2G is moving closer to market readiness in Australia, while cautioning that consumers should wait for formal manufacturer approval before assuming existing vehicles will support grid export.

6/18/2026