PG&E expands bi-direction EV pilot program with new hardware and software partners

PG&E has widened its bidirectional EV charging pilot, a program that lets homeowners use their electric car as a backup battery for the house, and even sell power back to the grid. The utility added two new charger makers, dcbel and Wallbox, to a lineup that already includes Tesla, General Motors, and Ford/Sunrun equipment. New vehicle pairings include the Nissan Leaf (2018-2025), Volvo EX90 (2025), and Polestar 3 (2025) with the dcbel Ara charger, and the Kia EV9 (2024+) and Kia EV6 (2025+) with the Wallbox Quasar 2.

If you're a PG&E customer with standard 240-volt home electrical service and one of these vehicle-and-charger combinations, you may qualify for incentives: $2,500 off installation costs ($3,000 in designated Disadvantaged Communities), plus an extra $1,500 for the first 250 people who sign up. The new hardware can also tap into a separate California Energy Commission grant of up to $13,000, potentially covering the entire installation cost — though a program representative said fewer than 50 of those grant spots remain.

The pilot dates back to a 2019 state law directing regulators to develop rules for connecting EVs to the grid, and PG&E launched enrollment in late 2023. Progress was slow at first — as of last September, only three residential customers had signed up. But the utility says that number has grown to 51 households connected to the grid as of this July. PG&E's next report to regulators on the program's progress is due by the end of September 2026.