One of the major focuses in the electric vehicle world right now is bidirectional charging, which allows a car to get power from a charger, and to return some of that electricity to the grid if it’s needed. So important is the technology, that BMW, Ford, and Honda have partnered to create a company focused entirely on it in the U.S. called ChargeScape.
Announced on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show, the joint venture company will help owners of the three automakers’ EVs share electricity with their local power grid. Through a variety of managed charging and energy-sharing services, the company hopes to “unlock entirely new value that EVs can provide the power grid.”
“Electric vehicles are unlocking entirely new benefits for customers that can save them money while supporting grid resiliency and increase the use of clean, renewable energy,” said Bill Crider, global head of charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company. “ChargeScape will help accelerate the true potential of the EV revolution by providing significant benefits to both utilities and EV customers through smart vehicle-to-grid services.”
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With more EVs getting on the road, the strain on the power grid is expected to grow significantly. By returning some of their power to a home when drivers don’t need it, the automakers say they hope to support “grid resiliency.”
By doing that, EVs can also act as a big battery, storing energy from wind and solar chargers when they’re producing more than houses and businesses need, and then redistributing that power out when those renewable sources aren’t generating.
ChargeScape is expected to have an outsized impact because it works with the EVs from several brands, and aggregates their usage to better respond to demand. As a result of that, the JV company expects to offer cost-effective operational benefits to local utilities. However, it adds that customers will always be in charge of when their vehicles charge and discharge, to ensure that drivers have the power they need to get where they’re going.
“We are counting on this platform to create new value for our customers by connecting EVs to electric utilities, strengthening grid resources and reducing CO2 emissions,” said Jay Joseph, VP of Sustainability & Business Development, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “With automakers accelerating toward the electrified future, we must find solutions like ChargeScape that enable all stakeholders to work together for the good of our customers, society and our industry by enabling greater use of renewable energy for and from mobility.”
