Victoria, British Columbia — A new pilot project from B.C. Hydro aims to allow electric vehicles to share electricity back to the grid with an aim of allowing EVs to act as portable batteries.
On December 15, B.C. utility announced that it has successfully tested the vehicle-to-grid program, which would allow electricity to be pushed from the batteries of medium to heavy-duty EVs and back into the power grid.
The returned electricity could then be used in a variety of applications, such as helping with emergency response in the event of a natural disaster or storm by providing power to critical infrastructures—a more environmentally friendly method than relying on diesel generators.
“The average car is parked 95 percent of the time, and with the evolution of technology solutions like vehicle-to-grid, stationary vehicles hold the potential to become mobile batteries, powered by clean and affordable electricity,” said BC Hydro president and CEO Chris O’Riley.
B.C. Hydro says it has conducted its tests by using a Lion Electric school bus connected to a 60 kilowatt charger and further says the project is a partnership with Powertech and Coast to Coast Experience and has been funded by the provincial government.
The pilot is the first of its kind in Canada, the organization says, but the technology has been used successfully in Europe and the United States.
