PG&E trials V2X for public shutoff backup power

PG&E, Kaluza and Wallbox are partnering on an EV and V2X programme in California, which will use dynamic tariffs to reward customers for providing surplus power back to the grid during public safety power shutoff events.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the largest utility in California, is partnering up with energy software business Kaluza and EV charging company Wallbox to pilot the smart charging and Vehicle to Everything (V2X) technology.

Through $1.5 million in phase one funding from the California Energy Commission (CEC) REDWDS grant, the partners will develop new technologies to incorporate dynamic price signals for both one-way ‘V1G’ and bidirectional ‘V2X’ charging.

The project will allow drivers to ‘set and forget’ their EV charging: using Kaluza’s algorithms, a smart EV charger, driver preferences, live grid data and dynamic pricing structures, vehicles will charge optimally to reduce grid pressures during public safety power shutoff events.

The programme will comprise 330 vehicles, with a commitment to deploy at least 50% of these assets in low-income communities.

Some of these assets will be connected to Wallbox’s bidirectional charger, Quasar 2, enabling users to charge their EVs and export power back to their homes or offer emergency back-up power when the grid is down. EVs store around 70kWh in their battery – sufficient to power an average home for three days, longer than most stationary batteries.

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Project progression

If the project is successful, additional CEC funding of up to $4 million will be made available through a second phase to continue deploying managed charging and bidirectional solutions in California.

Mike Delaney, vice president of Utility Partnerships and Innovation at PG&E, commented on the V2X partnership in a release: “Our work to prepare the grid to power and support millions more EVs over the next decade includes creating the most robust vehicle-grid-integration portfolio in the world.

“To that end, we are collaborating with the best and the brightest to integrate new bidirectional charging capabilities and to provide the platform, expertise, and cross-industry leadership to enable our customers with a range of options that unleash the full potential of their EVs.”

Phase 1 of the three-year pilot kicks off this year, with customer enrolment expected at the end of 2024. The programme operation and data collection will extend through September 2026.

PG&E provides natural gas and electric services to approximately 16 million customer, with 600,000 operating EVs throughout the utility’s Northern and Central California service area.

In a release, the partners cite high initial costs and the reliance of low-income individuals on their vehicles for work, posing challenges for these communities in transitioning to EVs. The project partners will further collaborate to lower the upfront costs of switching to an EV and showcase the efficiency of managed charging programmes in ensuring affordable charging and constant vehicle readiness for customers.

Additional partners in the initiative include community-owned electricity provider Sonoma Clean Power and Valley Clean Air Now (CAN). The former aims to make EV charging more accessible for low-income communities and the will support customers in learning about options to make use of second hand EVs.

Jonathan Levy, US managing director at Kaluza, commented: “We are thrilled to be selected for up to $6.2 million in funding from the California Energy Commission, enabling Kaluza to accelerate our work in the United States.

“With California rapidly approaching 2 million cumulative EV sales, managed charging with software solutions like Kaluza means everyone’s a winner – including EV drivers, utilities like PG&E, the grid and the planet.”