Credit: Sunrun

The idea of using an electric vehicle's battery to send energy from the EV to the electrical grid is not a new idea. Ars first covered the technology, known as vehicle-to-grid or V2G, back in 2009 when Ford and American Electric Power in Ohio started playing with the idea, although that pilot involved hybrids rather than battery EVs. A couple of years later, General Motors tried something similar with the plug-in hybrid Volt, and since then, battery EVs with much larger lithium-ion packs have gotten in on the act, although such pilot programs have invariably involved commercial EV fleets.

More recently, we've started seeing EVs that have been designed from the ground up to be capable of bidirectional charging. And since July, some owners of Ford F-150 Lightnings have been sending stored energy back into the grid between 5 pm and 9 pm on weekdays, earning them some cash in the process.

Sunrun, which provides home energy storage and solar solutions, started working with Baltimore Gas and Electric Company on the project last year. This summer, it expanded its work to include the nation's first residential V2G pilot, with a trio of Lightning owners using Sunrun and Ford's Home Integration System. Participants can earn up to $1,000 from the program, which runs until the end of this month.

One of those Lightning owners is Morgan Grove. "As a member of the Baltimore Commission on Sustainability, I'm excited to be an early adopter of this technology and participate in this vehicle-to-grid program with BGE and Sunrun," Grove said. "I bought the Ford F-150 Lightning for several reasons, one of them being the ability to power our home during an outage. Now, I can also earn money by sending energy directly to the grid."

Is this the way to a more resilient power grid?
Credit: Sunrun

"This demonstrates the critical role that vehicle batteries can play in powering the nation's grid, accelerating American energy independence and dominance," said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell. "It's great to see this partnership with BGE and Ford move to this commercial stage. In addition to showing how electric vehicles can power homes, add electrons to the grid, and help utilities meet peak electricity demand, this program also creates extra income opportunities for customers," Powell said.

"Enabling customers to not only power their homes but send power directly back to the grid in times of need helps customers with financial incentives, utilities with more power capacity, and society through more grid reliability and sustainable energy practices. It’s a win-win for everyone," said Bill Crider, senior director, global charging and energy services, Ford Motor Company.