Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on Dec. 6 announced the launch of a pre-enrollment website for customers interested in joining the company’s three upcoming Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot programs.
The new programs will offer customers financial incentives to integrate new bidirectional EV charging technology, which allows a customer’s electric vehicle to become a mobile battery, capable of storing electricity that can be used to provide onsite power or send power back to the grid during periods of peak electricity demand.
As outlined in its first ever Climate Strategy Report, released in June, PG&E aims to support 3 million EVs on the road in its service area by 2030, with goals of more than 2 million of them equipped with vehicle-to-grid capabilities.
PG&E will test the technologies in a variety of settings, including homes, businesses and with local PG&E microgrids in select high wildfire-risk areas. PG&E is anticipating enrolling approximately 1,000 customers with eligible electric vehicles and bidirectional charging stations in the residential pilot, 200 customers in the commercial pilot, and 200 customers in the microgrid pilot.
Pre-enrollment allows PG&E customers to express interest in participating, determine eligibility and reserve a rebate and an opportunity to fully enroll in the programs in 2023 as more vehicles and other required equipment become more widely available.
“Bidirectional EV charging is a game-changer for both the energy and transportation sectors. These pilot programs will help determine how to maximize the cost-effectiveness of bidirectional charging technology in providing a variety of customer and grid benefits,” said Aaron August, PG&E’s vice president of utility partnerships and innovation.
V2X Pilot Program Incentives
Customer benefits of PG&E’s V2X pilots include leveraging the EV battery as a backup power source and using the EV battery to earn money and offset energy usage through participation in demand response and other managed charging programs, which ultimately help reduce customer bills, integrate renewable energy and support the grid.
Each of the new pilot programs offer specific financial incentives for participating customers and additional benefits for those in disadvantaged and priority communities as identified in California Assembly Bill 841. The upfront incentives for the V2X Pilots along with the performance-based incentives and enrollment in the Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) can provide additional savings to help offset the costs of purchasing and installing a bidirectional EV charger.
Incentives include:
V2X Residential
- Up to $2,500 upfront ($3,000 for customers in disadvantaged communities)
- Up to $2,175 additional for providing stored energy to the grid in times of high demand through auto-enrollment in the ELRP demand response program
V2X Commercial
- Up to $2,500 upfront ($3,000 for customers in disadvantaged communities) for installing a 3-phase bidirectional charger less than 50 kW
- Up to $3,625 additional for providing stored energy to the grid in times of high demand through auto-enrollment in the ELRP demand response program
- Up to $4,500 upfront ($5,000 for customers in disadvantaged communities) for installing a 3-phase bidirectional charger greater than or equal to 50 kW
- Up to $3,625 additional for providing stored energy to the grid in times of high demand through auto-enrollment in the ELRP demand response program
V2X Microgrids
- Up to $3,750 for providing stored energy to the grid in times of high demand through auto-enrollment in the ELRP demand response program
- Can stack incentives with V2X Residential or Commercial
Approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in May, the new programs are separate and in addition to PG&E’s collaborations announced last March with both General Motors and Ford Motor Company, and will help to inform the Department of Energy Memorandum of Understanding that PG&E and a collaboration of industry, government and labor leaders signed in April focused on accelerating V2X technologies.
Support for EV Adoption
More than 420,000 EVs---one in six in the country---are registered in PG&E’s service area of Northern and Central California, where customers are often early adopters of new clean energy technologies.
PG&E has played an active role in reducing customers’ barriers to EV adoption through charging infrastructure programs, rebates and special EV rates for both residential and business customers that help make charging simpler and more affordable.
PG&E also offers tools to help customers understand costs when adopting an EV. To learn more about PG&E’s EV offerings, visit pge.com/ev.
Source: PG&E
Abby Andrews