- Toyota is working on the next phase of its Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot program in Texas.
- The company is studying ways in which its electric vehicles can better support the electrical grid, especially during emergency situations.
- While Toyota does not yet offer electric vehicles with bidirectional charging, it says the technology has huge potential to “transform the broader energy ecosystem.”
Blame it on AI data centers, an aging power grid, extreme temperatures, or all of the above. However, one thing is clear as we head toward 2026: the United States is on the right track Unprecedented demand for electricity.
This may seem like an argument against electric cars. After all, why unleash an entire fleet of cars on this country that could further drain our already shaky electrical grid? But that’s only because most people don’t know Two-way charging: The ability of an electric car to charge other devices using its battery, power entire homes, or even return power to the grid.
Many electric vehicles already offer this capabilityis increasingly becoming a standard feature of these cars. Meanwhile, many automakers are working with electric utilities Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) pilot programs. Which can directly support local power grids using energy from electric vehicle batteries.
The last company to rise is Toyota. Automaker recently Announce It is entering a new phase of its long-term V2G pilot program at its North American headquarters in Plano, Texas. Working with Oncor, a large power utility in the Lone Star State, and using a bi-directional EV charger from Fermata Energy, the Japanese-spec bZ4X test vehicle is currently returning power to the grid. The charger “enables bi-directional power flow by analyzing price signals and grid conditions to determine optimal times to charge the vehicle and discharge stored energy back to the grid,” the automaker said.
Toyota is also running similar pilot programs with other utilities across the country, including San Diego Gas & Electric and Pepco in Maryland. In doing so, the company monitors the actual needs of local energy markets, and what else customers will need.
Generally, with V2G programs, EV drivers plug their cars into a special charger like this one designed to return power to the grid. The local electric utility itself must also be prepared to do this. When necessary, power from the vehicle will be transferred to the grid to support area power, and drivers often receive credit for assistance – and can opt out or unplug at any time. That’s why they’re often called “virtual power plants.”
It would be a sea change for energy in the United States if every electric vehicle were V2G-enabled, and if every electric grid was set up to work with it in this way. But Toyota offered a startling statistic about the technology’s potential: “Currently, there are more than 4 million battery electric vehicles on American roads. If all the cars were equipped with bidirectional charging, they could collectively contribute about 40,000 megawatts to the grid — an energy output comparable to that of 40 nuclear power reactors,” the automaker said.
While gasoline-powered cars can only send power in one direction — to the car’s own wheels — an electric vehicle’s ability to share power could be a major boon to the grid as demand for energy rises and costs rise with it. According to Wall Street JournalThe US Department of Energy expects the average residential electricity price to jump 4% next year, even after a 4.9% increase in 2025.
It is clear that electric vehicles alone cannot solve this problem. Toyota itself does not currently offer any electric vehicles with V2G or V2L capability, unlike Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, General Motors and others. But it seems inevitable that Toyota will eventually intervene.
As this scope expands, it may be more useful than many people realize. “By enabling bidirectional charging, we are exploring how we can help customers save money while also reducing carbon emissions from the grid,” Christopher Yang, senior vice president of enterprise strategy and solutions at Toyota Motor North America, said in a statement. It’s a “win-win for drivers and the environment,” he said.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
