Why plugging in all those EVs could actually save the power grid
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Kevala, GridLab, and E3 coauthored a report finding that if 10% of California EV owners enrolled in V2G programs by 2036, they would supply one-third of the state's targeted long-duration energy storage.
- California's grid-scale battery storage capacity grew 2,100% between 2019 and 2025 as the state works to manage intermittency from solar and wind power.
- Pete Skala, VP of professional and advisory services at Kevala, said V2G "won't take a huge amount of participation to make a meaningful dent" in expensive grid-scale storage purchases.
- Electricity demand is rising from electrification of stoves, heaters and cars, plus sprawling data centers and hotter temperatures driving AC use that peaks in late afternoon — just as solar generation drops off.
- Smart thermostat demand-response programs already let utilities remotely raise AC settings during heat waves, and V2G would complement these "flexible load" strategies, the report says.
- Compensation design is the catch, the report warns — pay EV owners too much and costs may exceed new battery facility construction; pay too little and participation stalls.
- Non-EV owners stand to benefit too, per the report, since rates shouldn't rise if utilities can avoid building extra infrastructure.
Why it matters: California faces a costly build-out of grid-scale battery storage to cover the late-afternoon demand spike when solar generation fades. Hitting just 10% V2G participation by 2036 delivers one-third of the state's long-duration storage target from vehicles already plugged in — sparing all ratepayers from new infrastructure costs and giving regulators a cheaper, faster path to grid reliability.
Ask SkimNews
