Enrolling 10% of California EVs in vehicle-to-grid programs by 2036 could deliver a third of the state’s energy storage goals

A new report on California's power grid looks at whether electric vehicles, parked in driveways across the state, could help store and supply power the way large battery plants do. The idea is called "vehicle-to-grid," where an EV's battery sends power back to the grid when needed, not just draws it while charging.

The report, from research groups GridLab, Kevala, and E3, estimates California will have 9.7 million electric vehicles on the road by 2036, representing far more storage capacity than the state's planned large-scale battery projects. The authors calculate that if just 10% of those EVs took part in vehicle-to-grid programs, they could supply about a third of the storage the state is counting on from utility-scale batteries. They say this could happen without requiring EV owners to change their daily routines, thanks to smart meters and automated controls.

For this to work, the report says utilities need better-designed programs. Past efforts have paid people just for signing up rather than for actual performance, or added new overlapping programs instead of fixing what wasn't working. The authors argue future programs should pay EV owners and other customers based on measured results and on the real value they provide to the grid, while also avoiding higher costs for other ratepayers. If your state or utility rolls out a vehicle-to-grid program, the compensation would likely depend on how it's structured under these principles, so the details of any future offer would matter for whether it's worth signing up.