State officials announce new plan to turn everyday cars into power sources: 'It could be serving huge loads across the grid'

Massachusetts is recruiting volunteers for a pilot program that turns electric vehicles into grid-supporting mobile powerhouses. 

It's called vehicle-to-everything, or V2X, an innovative plan that has been tried elsewhere with mixed success, according to Canary Media. But New England officials are hopeful they can learn enough from a trial run to prove the concept is viable to provide sustainable grid power.

It's part of a clean energy plan through 2050 outlined by state officials. One goal is for Massachusetts to have 900,000 EVs on travel lanes by the end of the decade, according to Canary. Program leaders see untapped potential in the cars' power packs. 

"That could be a really important piece as we seek to get to net zero by 2050. It still requires a whole lot of infrastructure, and it's complicated for the utilities. But in the future, it could be serving huge loads across the grid," Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Elijah Sinclair told the site. 

Sinclair is the center's transportation manager. It's using $6 million to provide and install up to 100 bi-drectional chargers, the two-way devices needed to both charge and provide electricity. Schools, businesses, and individuals are invited, all per Canary and the center. 

The report added that some V2X attempts floundered because of high costs and complexity. The system needs willing utilities to pay the participants for the power they provide. That part isn't unheard of, as virtual power plants leverage household batteries, including Tesla Powerwalls, for grid-supporting electricity. A VPP network in Southern California supplied enough juice last year when needed to prevent dirty fuel-burning support, Tesla Energy posted on X, formerly Twitter. Electrek reported that participants typically earn between $10 and $60 per "event." 

For V2X to be successful, EV owners will at some point have to take on the approximately $5,000 to $10,000 cost that Canary listed for the special chargers. It's a big hurdle the team in Massachusetts hopes to learn how to solve during the demo. 

"What went well, what did not go well, and what should be considered in moving these programs to a more mature scale," Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations said. The company works on clean energy projects and is co-leading the V2X effort. 

Battery-stored electricity, especially when renewably generated, can help to break a worrisome cycle. Burning fossil fuels to make energy is contributing to our heat-trapping air pollution burden, which NASA has linked to increased risks for severe weather. Those extreme storms are knocking out power lines, creating blackouts and grid strain. 

V2X efforts have been successful in Europe. Stateside, programs that use mostly idle electric school buses have shown promise. But ones in California and Baltimore have had mixed results. Another New England project works like a VPP — and also rewards EV owners for not charging during peak demand hours, all per Canary. 

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In Massachusetts, officials plan to finish the V2X project in December 2026. The program page lists the Ford Lightning and Nissan Leaf as eligible vehicles, with more options for commercial participants. 

Federal tax rebates remain to help offset EV purchases, in addition to the $1,500 you can save in gas and maintenance costs when switching. It's part of a cleaner transportation strategy that can include walking and public options, regardless where you live. 

In New England, V2X organizers need to develop a simple payment structure for participants who supply power, among other confirmations, organizers said. 

The key is to "safely and reliably connect with the grid in a way that's reasonably low-cost and reliable and fast," Vehicle-Grid Integration Council Executive Director Zach Woogen said, per Canary. His group represents EV and charging makers and works with utilities across the country. 

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