GM, PG&E Collaboration Improves Charging Technology

DETROIT – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and General Motors announced this month that the companies would collaborate to “pilot the use of GM electric vehicles as on-demand power source for homes in PG&E’s service area.”

Together, the companies will test vehicles with “cutting-edge” bidirectional charging technology that will help essential needs of a properly equipped home be powered safely. The bidirectional charging capabilities are geared towards further improving electric resiliency and reliability in order to work towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

PG&E Corp., CEO Patti Poppe, said she is excited for the collaboration with GM.

“Imagine a future where everyone is driving an electric vehicle,” she said. “And where that EV serves as a backup power option at home and more broadly as a resource for the grid. Not only is this a huge advancement for electric reliability and climate resiliency, it’s yet another advantage of clean-powered EVs, which are so important in our collective battle against climate change,”

By the conclusion of 2025, GM projects it will have over 1 million units if EV capacity in North America as demands continue to increase.

GM Chair and CEO, Mary Barra, said their collaboration with PG&E “further expands” their electrification strategy as it shows their vehicles are made with reliable sources of power.

“Our teams are working to rapidly scale this pilot and bring bidirectional charging technology to our customers,” said Barra.

The first testing of the vehicle-to-home capability of the pilot is set to take place in the summer and will include bidirectional hardware. GM said it will also include “software-defined communications protocols that will enable power to flow from a charged EV into a customer’s home, automatically coordinating between the EV, home and PG&E’s electric supply.”

PG&E and GM both are working towards opening larger customer trials by the end of the year.

Source: General Motors

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.