SAN FRANCISCO — General Motors announced new vehicle-to-grid capabilities for its current electric vehicle and home energy customers. The company also introduced a commercial energy storage system strategy using sodium-ion batteries and launched Energy Pass, a platform feature to simplify public charging for electric vehicle owners.
General Motors chief product officer Sterling Anderson said, "We see a future where electric vehicles, batteries that power them, and the country's power grids work together." Over 250,000 bidirectional-capable Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC electric vehicles are currently operating in the United States.
The company will issue a firmware update to enable existing vehicle-to-home system customers to send electricity back to the power grid. Customers who already own vehicle-to-home equipment will automatically receive this update. Anderson said, "By injecting flexibility into a historically rigid system, vehicle-to-grid technology simultaneously can lower aggregate energy costs, create a potential financial return for the consumer, and enhance the systemic reliability of the broader grid."
General Motors is partnering with PG&E in Northern California to develop a fleet of 52,000 electric vehicles for grid balancing protocols, with operational plans by 2030. The company is also collaborating with DTE Energy in Michigan to test bidirectional charging at 30 employee residences. GM Energy vice president Wade Sheffer published an open letter urging regulators to establish standardized vehicle-to-grid infrastructure.
General Motors is partnering with Peak Energy to develop sodium-ion batteries for commercial grid-scale energy storage systems. Kurt Kelty, General Motors vice president of battery and sustainability, said, "Sodium-ion-powered energy storage systems have the potential to operate without active cooling and with much less system complexity." Sodium-ion batteries perform better in cold temperatures than lithium-ion batteries. General Motors expects trial production of sodium-ion cells at its Battery Cell Development Center to begin in 2028. Kelty said, "In a market increasingly shaped by cost pressure, energy demand growth, and geopolitical risk, that's a real differentiator."
General Motors is selling lithium iron phosphate battery cells to LG Energy Solution for use in stationary energy storage systems. Additionally, the company is expanding its collaboration with Redwood Materials to repurpose retired electric vehicle batteries for stationary energy storage. General Motors plans to install a 7.2 megawatt-hour Redwood Materials energy storage system at one of its manufacturing plants in Michigan.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that residential electricity prices have increased by approximately 48 percent since January 2020. General Motors plans to commercialize vehicles utilizing lithium manganese-rich battery chemistry by 2028.