PG&E Launches EV Pilot Program

In this episode - PG&E Launches EV Pilot Program . . .

In a previous podcast episode (Bi-Directional Charging), we reported on V2H and V2G technology. Happy New Year, welcome to season four of On the Fly.

Dateline: Dec. 6, 2022 - Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced the launch of a pre-enrollment website for customers interested in joining the company’s upcoming Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot program. The “Vehicle to Everything” pilot envisions a future in which automobiles not only draw their power from the electrical grid but can strategically add electricity back to the grid when demand is high — and generate some money for their owners.

It’s based on the concept of bidirectional energy flow using EV batteries; this isn’t new, but having a utility company as dominant as PG&E onboard could transform the idea into a reality.

The pilot has space for 1,000 residential customers and 200 commercial customers. PG&E isn’t releasing the numbers for how many people have signed up. Still, Paul Doherty, a communications architect at PG&E, expects the enrollment period to take several months, stretching into Q1 2023. More than 420,000 EVs—one in six in the country—are registered in PG&E’s service area of Northern and Central California, where customers are often early adopters of new clean energy technologies.

On the residential side, customers can receive financial incentives of up to $2,500 just for enrolling in the pilot. That money, says Doherty, goes towards installing a bidirectional charger at the customer’s residence. The installation cost varies according to the home’s specifications. Still, Doherty says it’s unlikely that $2,500 will cover the total cost for most users, though it may come close, with most installations ranging in the low thousands.

Once the bidirectional charger is installed, customers can use the electricity to power their homes during peak demand hours and begin selling electricity back to the grid during flex alerts.

Southern California residents may remember back in September of 2022 when the electric grid was pushed to its breaking point thanks to a historic heatwave. During such events–or any other disaster that strains the system–customers can plug their vehicle in, discharge the battery, and get paid.

Doherty states that users can expect to make between $10 and $50 per flex alert depending on how severe the event is and how much of their battery they’re willing to discharge. That might not seem like a considerable sum, but the pilot program is slated to last two years.

Let’s say California averages ten flex alerts annually; like in 2022, customers could make $1,000. That could offset the rest of the bidirectional charger installation or provide another income stream. Not to mention help stabilize our beleaguered grid.

However, there’s always a catch. PG&E has to test and validate any bi-directional charger before it can be added to the program. So far, the only approved hardware is Ford’s Charge Station Pro, meaning only the F-150 Lightning–can participate in the program. That should change soon as the utility company tests additional hardware from other brands. Doherty says they’re expecting to add the Nissan LEAF, Hyundai’s IONIQ 5, the KIA EV6, and others soon since it’s just a matter of testing and integrating those chargers into the program.

The commercial side of the pilot looks similar to the residential. Businesses receive cash incentives upfront to help offset the cost of installing bidirectional chargers and then get paid for their contribution to stabilizing the grid in times of stress. PG&E says electric school bus fleets represent attractive targets for this technology due to their large battery capacity, high peak power needs, and predictable schedule.

If California’s aggressive plan to transition all new car sales to electric by 2035 succeeds — this would require it to add nearly two million new EVs to state roads every year — that’s two million rolling, high-power batteries with the potential to power our homes, our jobs and the grid at large. Getting there will be a colossal undertaking, but PG&E’s pilot could be a sufficient test, provided they can figure out how to get more vehicles than the Ford Lightning into the program. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before the other utility companies follow suit, so stay tuned.

I’m Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄 Preview of this week's On the Fly blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...

Feeling Human Again

In this episode, The Unexpected Thankfulness of Feeling Human Again I’ll be honest with you: My triumphant return from France was not the glamorous homecoming I had imagined. No graceful glide back into routine. No cinematic jet-setter moment where I lift my suitcase off the carousel and wink at life like we’re old pals. Instead? I came home and immediately launched into a two-week performance piece titled The Great American Couch Collapse. My days blurred together in a haze of soup, hot tea, tissues, and desperate negotiations with the universe for just one nostril—one!—to function properly. The living room sofa became my emotional support furniture. And any creative idea that dared tiptoe into my congested brain was gently shown the exit with a firm but courteous, “Not today, friend. Try again later.” When life hits the pause button like that—when you’re exhausted, sick, and mentally unplugged—how do you find your spark again? Somehow, today, I felt it. A tiny shift. A clearing of th...

A Holiday Reflection–Mother's Love

In this episode, How a Mother’s Love Built My Memories– A Holiday Reflection As this holiday season approaches and the world buzzes with shopping, planning, and busy schedules, I find myself embracing something wonderfully simple: taking a moment to pause. Not to check off a list or recharge devices, but to breathe deeply, remember fondly, and honor the person and place that have shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it. This year, after regaining my strength from a lingering post-travel fog, my mind didn’t wander to exotic destinations or future adventures. It drifted backward—across oceans and time—to Cuba, Illinois, in the early 1960s, and to the woman whose love built the foundation of my world: Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom . We came to Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition so dramatic I only appreciate its enormity now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped off that plane and into the Midwest with a courage that s...

Patience: the Only First-Class Ticket

In this episode, Patience: the Only First-Class Ticket They say travel broadens the mind. After eight days sailing the Rhône with 140 fellow luxury vacationers, I can confirm it also tests patience , calf strength, buffet strategy, and one's tolerance for people furious that France insists on being French. Don't get me wrong—I adored this trip. The river shimmered like liquid optimism. The villages looked hand-painted. The pastries could negotiate world peace. But somewhere between Ship Horn Hello and Bon Voyage, we'd inadvertently boarded a floating behavioral research study disguised as a holiday. Our ship was less a cruise and more a ferry for the Sailors of Status. Some passengers approached relaxation like yogis. Others treated leisure like a final exam with extra credit. I came to believe certain luxury watches emit ultrasonic signals that only their owners can detect. A frequency calibrated to trigger rapid movement toward any line forming for any reason. I saw more ...

On The Fly

Search This Blog