GM Energy has teamed up with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) to participate in a pilot program focused on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) bidirectional charging for electric vehicles in Northern and Central California, as announced on March 13.
Homeowners who qualify for PG&E’s V2X pilot may receive discounts of up to $4,500 on a GM Energy home charging bundle and vehicle-to-home enablement kit, valued at $7,299. The program offers an initial $2,500 incentive for equipment installation, with an additional $2,000 available for residents in disadvantaged areas or early adopters.
The vehicle-to-home charging technology lets electric vehicles serve as backup power sources, providing energy to households during outages. However, the pilot aims to showcase even more benefits of this technology.
“This pilot provides a chance for utilities, lawmakers, and customers to explore the full potential of our V2H technology beyond just outage support,” said Wade Sheffer, Vice President of GM Energy. “It can strengthen grid resilience and highlight the unique benefits of EVs, potentially lowering overall ownership costs in the future.”
This collaboration reflects a growing trend of utilities partnering with automakers to ease energy demand while promoting the transition to electric vehicles. PG&E is also collaborating with Ford and has worked with BMW since 2015 on smart charging initiatives.
Currently, GM models eligible for this program include the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado, Equinox, Blazer, GMC Sierra Denali, and Cadillac Lyriq for 2024-2025, although GM Energy plans to expand eligibility to all of its electric vehicle models soon.
Participants in the pilot must also register in PG&E’s Emergency Load Reduction Program, which provides incentives for users who either send power back to the grid or lower their energy usage during peak times.