Toyota and Pepco: Pioneering Vehicle-to-Grid Technology in Maryland

In an exciting development for the electric vehicle (EV) industry, Toyota and Pepco, a local energy utility, have joined forces to conduct research on Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. The research will be carried out using a Toyota bZ4X, a battery electric vehicle (BEV).

The Power of Bidirectional Charging
The collaboration aims to explore the potential of bidirectional power flow technology. This innovative technology will enable BEV owners to not only charge their vehicle's battery but also feed power back into the local energy grid.

V2G technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we use energy. It can improve energy reliability and resilience, integrate renewables, and possibly even reduce electricity costs.

Understanding EV Owners' Needs
A key goal of this collaboration is to understand the needs of EV owners. By studying their charging habits and vehicle usage, the team hopes to drive widespread adoption of V2G technology.

Currently, nearly 80% of EV owners charge their vehicles at home overnight when energy demand is lower. With bidirectional capability, these vehicles could potentially feed power back to the local energy grid during peak demand hours or at other critical times, such as severe weather events.

Maryland: A Growing EV Market
Maryland is one of the fastest-growing EV markets in the nation, with a target of having 300,000 EVs on the road by 2025. Pepco is supporting this growth by installing 250 EV chargers across Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.

In April, Maryland became the first state to pass vehicle-to-grid legislation, the Distributed Renewable Integration and Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE) Act. This act requires utilities to develop interconnection processes for bidirectional chargers.

The Future of V2G Technology
The V2G research will take place at Pepco’s Watershed Sustainability Center in Montgomery County, Maryland. The team will design and evaluate a variety of EV charging and discharging use-cases that could potentially provide benefits to both the grid and customers.

Toyota currently offers two mass-market BEVs in the U.S. and Canada – the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ. By 2030, Toyota aims to offer 30 BEV models globally and produce up to 3.5 million BEVs annually.

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Source: ElectricCarReport