Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Pilots

Last Updated on 2025-10-27

Imagine a world where cars aren’t just passenger pods, but dynamic, rolling batteries—each plugged-in EV is a potential energy reserve, ready to feed the grid when needed. That world isn’t fiction; it’s being tested in pilots around the globe, and it’s reshaping how utilities think about flexibility, resilience, and distributed storage.

The Vision of V2G: EVs as Flexible Grid Assets

At its core, Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) flips our notion of EVs. No longer passive energy sinks, they become active buffers—charging when demand is low and discharging to support the grid when demand spikes. It’s not just about fueling cars; it’s about fueling the grid.

Prominent Pilots: From Wildfire Resilience to Urban Fleets

California’s Utility-Backed Pilots

The California Public Utilities Commission greenlit a trio of innovative pilots with Pacific Gas & Electric, investing $11.7 million in programs spanning residential, commercial, and microgrid use cases. These pilots explore how bidirectional chargers can:

• Provide backup power during outages—vital in wildfire-prone areas.
• Enable EVs to push energy back to the grid during peak demand.
• Test incentive structures and rate designs that reward smart usage.

Denmark’s Commercial V2G Hub

Copenhagen is home to the world’s first fully commercial V2G hub, operated by Frederiksberg Forsyning. Here, Nissan e-NV200 vans plug into Enel V2G units and flexibly charge or discharge based on grid needs—offering up to 100 kW of capacity when idle. This isn’t just a concept—it’s a functioning example of a city using vehicles as energy hardware.

The Parker Project: Frequency Services in Action

The Parker Project in Denmark tested EVs in grid services beyond just power exchange. Using V2G-enabled charging and PowerLabDK’s facilities, it assessed how EVs can deliver frequency containment reserves and other ancillary services.

School Buses in Oakland: Quiet Guardians of the Evening Grid

An Oakland Unified School District initiative partnered with startup Zum to equip 74 electric school buses with V2G tech. When not transporting students, these buses feed energy back to the grid during peak demand—helping balance solar fluctuations while offsetting operational costs.

What Makes V2G More Than a Cool Idea?

1. Distributed Storage Without the Facility

Building giant battery farms is expensive and location-dependent. V2G taps into what’s already there—millions of EV batteries—spreading storage capacity city-wide, cost-effectively.

2. Aligning with Renewables

EVs charge during solar and wind surpluses and discharge when generation dips, smoothing the inevitable mismatches between supply and demand.

3. New Value Streams

EV owners and fleet operators can monetize their vehicles’ idle hours—earning for grid support through frequency regulation, peak shaving, or backup services.

4. Infrastructure and Standards Need Upgrades

This doesn’t work with regular chargers. Utilities need bidirectional chargers, interoperable protocols (e.g., ISO 15118), and robust grid communication standards like OCPP for control, billing, authorization, and cyber security.

What’s Holding It Back?

• Battery Wear & Tear
  Constant charge/discharge raises concerns about battery lifespan. Compensation models must factor in degradation rates to make participation fair. WIRED
• Standardization Gaps
  ISO 15118 is promising—it aims to define secure communication for Plug & Charge and V2G—but industry-wide implementations are still emerging.
• Economic and Regulatory Complexity
  Pilots are exploring dynamic pricing and incentive schemes. Scaling V2G requires supportive market rules, clear tariffs, and trusted aggregator models.

V2G and Grid Planning: Rethinking Infrastructure

For utilities, this transforms grid planning from static to dynamic. Future systems will rely less on centralized batteries and more on networks of EVs responding to price signals, grid commands, or local demand. Grid operators must manage a flotilla of dispersed energy nodes, requiring real-time communication, precise control, and cyber-hardened systems.

Research Says: A Few, Smartly Used EVs Makes a Big Difference

Data shows that just 30% of global EV owners joining V2G programs by 2030 could meet the grid’s energy storage needs—proof that scale is achievable with measured participation. In Denmark, aggregators using vehicles to bid in frequency reserve markets could save EV owners 6–10% annually—meaning useful income for contributors and better integration into grid markets.

In Summary—Not Science Fiction, But Science in Motion

V2G moves us toward a grid where vehicles, not minicenter batteries, are the backbone of energy resilience. From California homes to French-voiced school buses in Oakland, these pilots paint a vivid picture: our cars can support the same grid that powers them.

WM Systems: Enabling the V2G-Ready Grid

To orchestrate V2G at scale, utilities need sturdy, secure, adaptable data infrastructure. That’s exactly where WM Systems steps in—with industrial IoT devices that:

• Enable secure, real-time communication between EV chargers, aggregators, and control systems.
• Support secure protocols and data flows critical for billing, authorization, and control.
• Offer robust connectivity—even in areas with spotty coverage, making sure commands and data arrive reliably.
• Meet the cybersecurity standards essential for anything grid-critical.

V2G isn’t just about smart energy—it’s about being sure the signals, data, and commands that make it happen are rock-solid. WM Systems is there to ensure that promise works from the edge to the control room.