January 12, 2022

Paving the Way: Vehicle-to-Grid Standards for Electric Vehicles

This paper reviews the status of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) standards and any gaps that need to be addressed to unlock the capabilities of V2G-enabled equipment.

Transportation electrification is essential to helping states and the federal government achieve their energy and climate targets. Electric vehicles (EVs) can provide myriad benefits, from reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services—in which electric vehicles can both charge from and send energy back to the grid, providing grid benefits. 

Before V2G can be implemented across the country, states will have to navigate the evolving landscape of technical standards that govern the certification of V2G-enabled equipment and integrate these standards into their rules and technical documents. Paving the Way: Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Standards for Electric Vehicles provides the starting point for regulators and other stakeholders to begin that process and unlock the potential of V2G technology on the grid.

This paper introduces various V2G technologies and configurations, walking through a number of technical and regulatory challenges. We take a deep dive into technical standards that govern V2G integration by looking through relevant existing and upcoming standards and communication protocols that can make V2G a reality.