PG&E, Ford to co-develop bidirectional electric vehicle charging technology for at-home use

In a unity of electricity and vehicular advancement, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Ford Motor Company announced last week that they will collaborate to see how the directional charging technology of the F-150 Lightning can aid reliability for PG&E’s service area.

“Today, we are seeing breakthrough opportunities at the intersection of the energy and transportation industries,” Patti Poppe, PG&E CEO, said. “As more electric vehicles and new charging technology become available, it is critical that we better understand how EVs can interact with the electric grid and how we can best support our customers. Through collaborations with automakers like Ford, we are innovating together for a cleaner, safer and brighter future for all.”

The F-150 Lightning will play a critical role in this investigation due to its role as the first commercially available light-duty truck to possess bidirectional capabilities through its Intelligent Backup Power. By the companies’ estimates, the truck could offer backup supply for customers’ homes in PG&E’s service area for up to 10 days during outages, depending on home energy usage.

PG&E will also offer an opportunity to investigate how the system interconnects with the electric grid and how, exactly, it could potentially help resiliency during blackouts. It could also lead to future collaborations, as the company expands renewable and green services to meet California’s goals of full emissions free new vehicles by 2035, among other climate pushes.

Installations of the Intelligent Backup Power system into the F-150 Lightning should begin this spring.