A panel of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) experts convened at Intersolar & Energy Storage North America 2025 to explore how electric vehicles (EVs) can bolster the reliability of an increasingly strained electric grid.
The panel, moderated by Ryan Gallentine, the managing director of transportation at Advanced Energy United, emphasized the potential of EVs as beneficial assets for both customers and utilities. Alison Cumming, the director of V2X and grid services at PowerFlex, expressed her enthusiasm for the transformation of EVs into “batteries on wheels.” PowerFlex is a clean technology solutions company that offers services including solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging. Cumming noted, “EVs have the potential to produce the exact same grid services as stationary storage systems for fleets or residential customers. This is a great way for customers to provide valuable services to the grid while gaining revenue.”
Cumming pointed out that V2G can potentially reduce or eliminate the need for costly infrastructure upgrades for utilities, leading to lower electricity rates. Ben Clarin, a senior principal in electric transportation at Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), described utilities’ core responsibilities: “keep rates low and keep the grid reliable.” He explained that utilities can achieve this by managing peak demand through V2G activities and active charging management.
Gabriela Olmedo, a regulatory affairs specialist at EnergyHub, echoed Clarin’s sentiments. EnergyHub partners with utilities to leverage distributed energy resources to ensure a cleaner, more dependable power system. Olmedo stated, “The most critical things a utility can do to manage EV loads coming online are active managed charging and daily load shaping.” She further noted that while EVs can participate in demand response or time-of-use rate programs, these approaches have limitations because of the concentrated nature of EV charging. “When everyone in a neighborhood starts charging their EVs at nine p.m. when the time-of-use rate ends, that rate spike isn’t going to be great for the grid infrastructure,” Olmedo explained. “Active managed charging will be critical.”
Clarin elaborated that utilities view V2G as a strategic investment. With over 3,000 utilities across the nation, each facing different levels of EV deployment and electrical load dynamics, he noted that V2G implementation will not be a one-size-fits-all solution. “From a market standpoint, they want consistency and less volatility,” he said, adding the industry needs more standardization around V2G deployment. However, Clarin emphasized that incentives for V2G will vary. “We need to ask, ‘What are the no regrets investments a utility will have?’ and go from there. That will come with increased adoption.”
Panelists also acknowledged the marketing challenges associated with V2G for potential customers. Russell Vare, the vice president of vehicle grid integration North America at The Mobility House, stated, “Most people are much more passionate about their car than their stationary battery, thermostat or load control device. How do you get a residential customer to want to have that resource contribute any value to the grid? You provide them that value.” The Mobility House provides charging solutions for multiple sectors. In North America, Vare explained, this often takes the form of providing backup power, which offers customers a valuable resource and encourages their active participation. “EVs are the most unique distributed energy resource we have from a grid perspective,” Vare said, highlighting that the reliability and resilience they can provide to individual customers and the broader power system is unmatched by other distributed energy resources.
Olmedo concluded, “They can either be a grid problem or a grid solution.”
