Toyota Motor North America has partnered with energy utility company, Pepco to research vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology for battery electric vehicles in Maryland.
This collaboration will use the Toyota bZ4X electric vehicle. It will investigate bidirectional power flow technology, enabling EV owners to charge their vehicles at off-peak times and return power to the local grid when demand is high.
V2G technology has the potential to enhance energy reliability and resilience, integrate renewable energy sources, and reduce electricity costs.
This collaborative effort aims to research sustainable energy solutions and provide local energy grid resilience
© Toyota
The collaboration aims to understand the charging habits and vehicle usage of EV owners, which will be key to promoting the adoption of V2G technology.
Currently, about 80 percent of EV owners charge their vehicles at home overnight, when energy demand is lower. With bidirectional capability, these vehicles could return power to the grid during peak demand hours or critical periods, such as severe weather events.
Christopher Yang, group vice president, Toyota EV Charging Solutions said:
Bidirectional charging offers customers a way to use their electric vehicles to support both the grid and their home electricity needs. Our work with Pepco will help us gain insights into charging and discharging scenarios, ultimately benefiting our customers and assisting utility providers in better understanding grid demands.
Maryland, a rapidly growing EV market, aims to have 300,000 EVs on the road by 2025. Pepco is supporting this goal by installing 250 EV chargers across Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
In April, Maryland became the first state to pass vehicle-to-grid legislation with HB 1256 – the Distributed Renewable Integration and Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE) Act – which mandates utilities to develop interconnection processes for bidirectional chargers.
Tyler Anthony, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings said:
Pepco is at the forefront of the energy transformation in our communities, embracing technology that facilitates the clean energy transition. V2G technology connects with the local energy grid and is part of our plan to ensure a successful and equitable energy transition. Our collaboration with Toyota will help us understand V2G technology and its impact on the grid, customers, and service reliability as we work towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
The V2G research will be conducted at Pepco’s Watershed Sustainability Center, located at the Rockville Service Center in Montgomery County, Maryland, using a bidirectional charger.
Pepco will lead the design and evaluation of various EV charging and discharging use-cases, which could benefit both the grid and customers.
This demonstration project will also help Pepco understand the infrastructure needed to support the rapid growth of EV charging infrastructure and the complexities of interconnecting large numbers of V2G assets to the grid. This knowledge will prepare the utility to meet the requirements of the DRIVE Act and support customer adoption of V2G technology.