V2G Insights

Two-Way Power, One-Way Rules: Why Scaling Bidirectional Charging Requires Rethinking BTM Exports

January 20, 2026

This article is the first in our 2026 Policy Series, which examines the key policy issues shaping the future of bidirectional charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G). As the technology moves beyond pilots, policy has emerged as the primary constraint on scale. Future features will explore other emerging regulatory and market issues facing the industry.

As bidirectional charging moves from pilot projects toward early commercialization, the conversation is broadening beyond resilience and backup power toward the role electric vehicles can play in everyday grid operations. Behind-the-meter (BTM) applications such as vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-building (V2B) deliver clear customer value and may scale in markets where resilience, bill management, or load control are primary objectives. These use cases demonstrate that bidirectional EVs can function as flexible energy assets, even when they operate entirely behind the retail meter.

During normal grid operations, V2H and V2B can reduce or shift on-site electricity demand, particularly during periods of system stress. By lowering net load behind the meter, these applications can contribute to peak demand reduction, ease local distribution constraints, and reduce system costs without requiring power to be exported to the grid. In this way, behind-the-meter bidirectional charging can provide both private benefits to customers and benefits to the broader system.

At the same time, additional system and societal value emerges when bidirectional EVs are able to export power beyond the retail meter and are compensated for doing so. Export capability allows EVs to move beyond load reduction and operate as dispatchable supply resources, supporting neighboring customers, addressing localized grid constraints, and contributing to grid reliability and flexibility at times and locations where the need is greatest.

A key distinction between these use cases lies in the magnitude and flexibility of the resource that can be delivered. In V2H or V2B configurations, the contribution to the grid is inherently limited by the customer’s on-site load at any given moment. By contrast, V2G enables the full rated capacity of a bidirectional EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) to be dispatched when conditions warrant, allowing EVs to provide larger, more predictable kW contributions and to participate more directly in grid operations.

V2G Intelligence

Bidirectional Charging in Theory and Practice: What an Industry White Paper Gets Right, and What Still Remains Unproven

January 20, 2026

As bidirectional charging moves from pilot projects toward early commercialization, the conversation around vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is increasingly shaped by industry-authored white papers. These documents play an important role: they help organize technical concepts, clarify emerging standards, and articulate how V2G could integrate into energy markets at scale. At the same time, they inevitably reflect the perspectives and commercial interests of their authors.

A recent white paper, Fundamentals and Applications of Bi-Directional Charging, authored by Sigenergy and The Mobility House, offers a useful case study in how the industry currently understands V2G, its promise, its architecture, and its remaining barriers. Read carefully, the report provides valuable orientation for policymakers and practitioners from a global perspective. Read uncritically, however, it risks overstating readiness and understating the unresolved questions that continue to constrain scale.

This article reviews the report as industry intelligence: not as definitive proof of V2G value, but as a window into how leading technology and aggregation firms believe bidirectional charging should evolve, and what must still change for that vision to materialize.

V2G Finds—US

Beyond Batteries and Solar: Illinois’ New Grid Law Opens the Door to V2G (full text of bill)

While media coverage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker on January 8, has largely focused on consumer savings and clean energy impacts, several lesser-known provisions represent a meaningful advance for bidirectional charging and the treatment of electric vehicles as grid resources. The law explicitly recognizes “vehicle storage systems” alongside stationary energy storage, making them eligible for net energy metering and allowing EV batteries to export power under established tariff frameworks. It also defines electric vehicles as distributed energy resources and directs utilities to incorporate EVs into virtual power plant programs capable of providing capacity, energy, and other grid services. Taken together, these provisions quietly but clearly signal that Illinois intends to move beyond viewing EVs solely as load and toward treating them as flexible, dispatchable assets that can support grid reliability and affordability.

To be sure, important details remain unresolved. The practical impact of these provisions will depend on how utilities design and file tariffs and how the Illinois Commerce Commission evaluates and approves them. Compensation levels, operational rules, and participation requirements will ultimately determine how accessible and scalable bidirectional charging becomes in practice. V2G News will continue to track progress during the implementation phase. Still, the statutory direction set is unambiguous, and that alone marks a major development for the industry. By embedding EVs within net metering, virtual power plants, and long-term grid planning, Illinois has created a credible policy pathway for vehicle-to-grid solutions to move from pilots toward early commercialization, one that other states are likely to watch closely as the next phase of EV-grid integration takes shape.

1/8/2026

CES 2026: Grid-Edge Infrastructure, Solid-State Batteries, and the Next Phase of EV Evolution

At CES 2026, Autel Energy, one of the world's leading providers of electric vehicle intelligent charging solutions, reinforced a clear message: EV charging is no longer just about hardware; it’s about operating grid-interactive infrastructure at scale. Autel used the show to position itself as a smart-infrastructure platform company, showcasing AC and DC charging solutions designed for fleets, logistics hubs, and autonomous operations. With an emphasis on automation, AI-driven diagnostics, open standards (including ISO 15118 and OCPP), and demand-response readiness, Autel’s approach reflects a broader shift toward dispatchable, software-defined charging systems that can integrate seamlessly with energy management platforms and future V2G programs.

Solid-state batteries were another major theme at CES, with implications that extend well beyond consumer electronics. Donut Lab drew attention by debuting what it claims is the world’s first production-ready all-solid-state battery, already shipping in Verge Motorcycles vehicles in 2026. At the same time, ProLogium, partnering with Darfon Energy Tech, introduced new solid-state solutions for e-bikes and light electric vehicles. While these applications are not directly tied to V2G today, advances in energy density, safety, fast charging, and, critically, cycle life suggest a future where battery degradation becomes a far smaller concern for frequent bidirectional use.

EV announcements at CES 2026 rounded out the picture, underscoring how vehicle platforms themselves are evolving alongside charging and storage technologies. From Sony Honda Mobility’s AFEELA roadmap to BMW’s Neue Klasse and AI-enabled charging software improvements, OEMs highlighted tighter integration between vehicles, software, and charging ecosystems. For V2G, the takeaway is not any single model reveal, but the convergence underway: smarter vehicles, more automated charging infrastructure, and longer-lived batteries together create the technical foundation for EVs to operate not just as loads, but as reliable, grid-interactive resources as policy and market frameworks continue to evolve.

1/6/2026

Why Fleet Electrification Is Turning Fleet Managers into Energy Managers

This story, which appeared in the online publication Green Fleet, explores how the rapid shift to electric vehicles is transforming fleet electrification into an energy management challenge as much as a transport one. Grid capacity constraints, smart charging, demand-side response, onsite renewables, storage, and emerging V2X technologies are increasingly shaping fleet strategy, turning charging depots into flexible energy systems rather than simple refueling points. As the article highlights, fleets that integrate energy considerations early, coordinating infrastructure, software, and operations, are better positioned to cut costs, improve sustainability performance, and build resilience as electrification accelerates.

1/6/2026

V2G Finds—Global
Forbes: Vehicle-to-Grid Emerges as a Global Automotive Trend for 2026

In its Global Automotive Outlook: Predictions for 2026, Forbes highlights vehicle-to-grid (V2G) emerging as a mainstream automotive trend rather than a niche energy experiment. The piece situates V2G alongside software-defined vehicles, AI-enabled cockpits, and shifting powertrain strategies, arguing that 2026 is the year bidirectional charging moves from pilots to commercial grid services. As more OEMs ship V2X-capable models and utilities look for flexible capacity, aggregated EV batteries are framed as a new source of resilience and recurring value for both customers and the power system. While standards, tariffs, and regulatory clarity remain gating issues, the article underscores that automakers and energy providers who bundle bidirectional charging with smart energy offerings, pointing to early movers like Octopus Energy, stand to unlock durable revenue streams and competitive advantage as V2G scales.

1/15/2926

Kia EV2 Brings V2G to the Entry-Level EV Market

With the global debut of the Kia EV2 at the 2026 Brussels Motor Show, Kia is signaling that bidirectional charging is no longer a premium-only feature. Positioned as a compact, urban-focused electric SUV and a low-cost entry point into Kia’s EV lineup, the EV2 includes both Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capability as standard features. That combination matters: by embedding V2G in an affordable, high-volume segment, Kia is helping normalize grid-interactive EVs and expanding the potential customer base for bidirectional charging well beyond early adopters. As policy and market frameworks evolve, vehicles like the EV2 could play an outsized role in scaling V2G by making export-capable EVs accessible to everyday drivers, not just premium buyers.

1/12/2026

Shenzhen Completes First-Ever EV-to-Grid Payment, Signaling a New Phase of V2G Market Design

In a modest but symbolically important step, the city of Shenzhen has completed its first-ever financial settlement for electricity discharged from an electric vehicle back to the grid, marking a tangible move from V2G pilots to real-world compensation. Under a program overseen by China Southern Power Grid, an EV owner was paid for exporting roughly 20 kWh during peak hours, small in scale, but notable for establishing a formal mechanism to value and settle EV exports. For a U.S. audience, the significance is less about the payment amount and more about what it represents: a utility-led effort to operationalize V2G as a grid resource, explicitly linking EV exports to peak demand management and distribution constraints. As U.S. regulators continue to debate interconnection rules, export eligibility, and compensation frameworks for bidirectional EVs, Shenzhen’s experience offers a clear reminder that V2G value is ultimately unlocked not by technology alone, but by tariffs and market structures that allow EV owners to be paid for supporting the grid.

1/13/2026

Cold Snaps Reveal the Limits of One-Way EV Charging

Extreme winter weather is increasingly exposing EV charging as a grid-dependent service rather than a standalone convenience. A recent article featuring Schneider Electric highlights how cold snaps drive up electricity demand, increase fault risks, and undermine driver confidence when chargers fail or real-time status data is unreliable. For V2G News readers, the deeper takeaway is that today’s charging networks are largely designed around one-way power flow, leaving them vulnerable during periods of system stress. As EV adoption grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, this dynamic strengthens the case for treating EVs not just as loads to be served, but as flexible energy assets that can support grid resilience, maintain charging availability, and help stabilize the system when it is under the greatest strain.

1/9/2026