Eversource and National Grid are piloting a residential vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Massachusetts, a state with more than 150,000 EVs on the road, letting qualifying customers enroll bidirectional-capable EVs in the utilities’ ConnectedSolutions demand-response program. The effort, announced this week with technology partners EnergyHub, Sunrun, and The Mobility House, extends an existing program that already draws flexible capacity from thermostats, batteries, and commercial and industrial resources to test how bidirectional EV charging can ease peak grid strain. Enrolled vehicles will send stored energy back to the grid during periods of high demand, and according to the companies, participating drivers will receive incentives for the capacity they provide.
Highlights
- Massachusetts has more than 150,000 EVs on the road, with a growing number of bidirectional-capable models available to owners
- The pilot folds V2G into ConnectedSolutions, the utilities’ existing demand-response program for thermostats, batteries, and commercial/industrial resources
- National Grid is already using V2G for light- to medium-duty fleets within ConnectedSolutions, starting with school buses
- Eversource is in discussions with school districts as part of its ConnectedSolutions+ offering
How the Pilot Works
Qualifying Eversource and National Grid residential customers in Massachusetts will be able to enroll V2G-capable EVs in ConnectedSolutions. During peak demand periods, those vehicles can discharge stored energy back to the grid, which the companies say helps prevent system strain and supports overall grid stability.
EnergyHub is providing the dispatch technology behind the pilot, building on its existing Edge DERMS platform, which the company says already coordinates more than 3.5 GW of flexible capacity for over 240 utilities. Sunrun and The Mobility House are contributing vehicle-grid integration and smart charging technology to manage enrolled EVs.
Massachusetts’ Growing EV Fleet
With more than 150,000 EVs already registered in the state and bidirectional-capable models becoming more common, the companies frame Massachusetts as sitting on a large and expanding pool of distributed storage capacity. The pilot is designed to turn parked, plugged-in EVs into a dispatchable resource rather than simply a load on the grid.
Building on Existing Fleet-Side V2G Work
The residential pilot follows fleet-side V2G work already underway in the state. National Grid is currently applying V2G to light- and medium-duty fleets within ConnectedSolutions, beginning with electric school buses, while Eversource is in discussions with school districts about participation through its ConnectedSolutions+ offering. The residential program marks an extension of that fleet-focused approach to individual EV owners.
Industry Reaction
“ConnectedSolutions is an important part of our strategy to deliver safe, reliable and affordable service,” said David Roman Ubeda, Senior Program Manager at National Grid. “V2G may provide additional opportunities to customers in support of managing their energy bills while advancing long-term sustainability across Massachusetts.”
“ConnectedSolutions is the gold standard for how utilities can scale virtual power plants by unifying diverse energy assets into a single, cohesive program,” said Seth Frader-Thompson, President of EnergyHub.
“We are excited to bring our dispatching expertise to Massachusetts and help expand our vehicle-to-grid technology to more customers,” said Chip Silverman, Sunrun’s Director of Grid Services. “Vehicle batteries play a critical role in stabilizing the grid, providing backup power to homes, and lowering energy costs for everyone.”
“Electric cars and buses with bidirectional charging have a valuable capability to provide emergency back up power and vehicle-to-grid,” said Russell Vare, VP of Vehicle-Grid Integration at The Mobility House North America. “The ConnectedSolutions program provides an excellent model to incentivize customers to interconnect their EVs to support the grid.”
“ConnectedSolutions is a nation-leading model for implementing virtual power plants, enabling us to actively partner with customers to help ease the strain on the electric grid,” said Tilak Subrahmanian, Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility. “We are proud of the impact our demand response efforts have had so far, and we are excited to test the capabilities we’ve built within ConnectedSolutions on new innovations, such as V2G.”
How to Enroll
Eversource and National Grid customers interested in the pilot can find program details on the utilities’ respective ConnectedSolutions pages for Eversource customers and National Grid customers.
For related coverage of Massachusetts’ broader push into bidirectional charging, see The EV Report’s earlier look at the state’s statewide V2X demonstration program, and EnergyHub’s recent managed-charging partnership with Rivian.
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