General Motors is entering the home energy storage game through a partnership with SunPower that will enable GM electric vehicles to provide backup energy to a customer’s home when properly equipped. SunPower was named GM’s preferred EV charger installation provider and its exclusive solar provider.
Silverado EV
The home energy system and installation services are slated to be available alongside the retail launch of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV, expected Fall 2023. With bi-directional charging capabilities, the Silverado EV paired with a home energy system is expected to provide enough electricity to provide average, whole home backup during a grid outage.
“We are proud to work alongside GM, a stalwart in American innovation, to seamlessly connect home energy and electric vehicles. This is a vital next step toward making an all-electric lifestyle easy and even more beneficial,” said Peter Faricy, SunPower CEO. “Through this collaboration, we are making it easy for EV drivers to power their vehicles with clean energy and providing new ways to offer energy resiliency and peace-of-mind.”
Once available, Chevrolet Silverado EV customers will be able to have their home energy system installed at the same time as their Silverado EV charger to enable vehicle-to-home (V2H) power or choose to do so at a later date. For interested customers, SunPower and GM will assess the home’s electrical system for compatibility with bi-directional charging. Customers can also choose to purchase a SunPower solar system for their home.
An EV customer with solar can charge their vehicle with energy generated from their rooftop system. Customers with a home energy system, compatible EV and properly equipped home are also expected to be able to store solar-generated electricity in their vehicle’s battery and export it directly into their home during the hours when electricity costs the most. This provides an opportunity for them to save even more money on electricity bills depending on home size, energy usage and utility rates.
“The collaboration with SunPower is a shining example of how GM is working with industry leaders to accelerate our all-electric future and unlock greater value potential for GM Energy customers,” said Travis Hester, vice president of GM’s EV Growth Operations. “Leveraging the combined expertise of our two companies, we are working collaboratively to develop great products, services and solutions, and to provide customers with the tools to help access and manage their home energy applications.”
News item from SunPower
i believe that the technology is already available for electric vehicles such as the CHEV Bolt EUV to be capable of providing backup power for homes in cases where storms such as hurricanes and winter ice storms put the electrical power out of commission. The Nissan Leaf seems to be right on the threshold of
providing this service. The vehicle company which accomplishes this task first, will be the one which will see a tremendous rise in sales compared to the ones who lag behind.
Bidirectional electric vehicle charging is a pretty impressive development in the advancement of battery and EV technology, as well as a potential boon for the solar energy grid. Not only can these vehicles be charged by solar panels and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, they can also act as battery backup system that can both power your home during a power outage AND provide a clean and reliable form of transportation. We are certainly looking forward to seeing how this market and technology develops in the future.
When a homeowner can opt to tap into their BEV to power their home during peak hours and then top off the battery when rates go down, all parties win. This is going to be a basic component of the future smart home.
There’s a lot of claims and for now Chevy says their on board inverter is 10.2kWh while Ford already has a 9.6kWh inverter in their truck offering. It seems company Sunrun are competent to install the home charging station needed for the Ford to power one’s home for a period of time. The ‘rub’ is the Ford system needs a $4,500 charger, probably a secondary circuit breaker panel for the 80 Amp charging station (and) sunrun actually installs a secondary small battery pack, inverter and transfer switch to complete the V2H backup proposition.
When one thinks about how TESLA invisions solar PV and smart energy storage on each home, then a BEV for daily transportation that is separate from the solar-backup battery system, instead of a “Rube Goldberg” V2X system and all appurtenances. Separate systems start making sense.