Toyota to conduct Vehicle-to-Grid research in California

With Volvo and Polestar putting Vehicle-to-Grid technology to the test in Sweden, Toyota Motor North America has now announced that it too will be collaborating with the San Diego Gas and Electric Company, a Southern California-based public utility that serves 3.7 million people, to test the same technology.

Toyota will be utilising its all-electric bZ4X as part of this new research programme, which will explore the use of bi-directional power flow technology and aims to find synergies between the needs of battery-electric vehicle owners and the needs of the electricity grid, as well as to explore how to communicate with battery-electric vehicle owners about the potential benefits of bidirectional capabilities.

The pilot will also assist the San Diego Gas and Electric Company to better understand the infrastructure needed to enable the rapid growth of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, both in public and private settings, and to further stabilise the power grid during peak hours. Toyota estimates that 80% of battery-electric vehicle owners in the U.S.A charge their cars at home overnight, when grid demand is lower. It states that Vehicle-to-Grid technology has the potential to improve energy reliability and resilience as well as the integration of renewables, and to possibly deliver reduced energy costs.

Toyota currently offers two mass-market battery-electric vehicles in the U.S.A and Canada - the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ450e. The firm has recently announced plans for an all-new three-row battery-electric SUV that will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky in 2025. The firm also targets to offer 30 battery-electric models globally across its Toyota and Lexus brand nameplates and produce up to 3.5 million battery-electric vehicles annually.