Dcbel, one of the first companies to offer a bidirectional charging platform, is seeing its reach expand as its technology is adopted in three pilot vehicle-to-everything (V2X) programs that provide savings and income to participating electric vehicle (EV) drivers and fleets.

Only a handful of bidirectional charging providers are accepted into the pilots.

Under the pilots–in Massachusetts and California–EV drivers and fleet owners receive funding to purchase bidirectional charging equipment and then enroll in V2X programs.

Bidirectional EVs as mobile microgrids can help a stressed grid

With V2X, EVs become mobile microgrids that can reduce demand charges, lower home electricity costs and yield income by participating in vehicle-to-grid (V2G), vehicle-to-home (V2H) and other bidirectional charging programs. Bidirectional EVs are seen as key to shoring up the grid by storing and delivering energy.

The V2G pilots are beginning to deliver income to EV drivers through several initiatives. In July, National Grid and Eversource announced a pilot that allows qualifying EV drivers to make money by enrolling in the ConnectedSolutions incentive program., which aims to reduce peak loads.

In addition, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has rolled out three pilot programs that use bidirectional EVs to absorb energy into their batteries when it’s less expensive, then release it to the grid, office building or home when rates are high, lowering energy costs and supporting the grid when it’s strained.

Dcbel’s platform was accepted into the PG&E program in recent weeks, and into California’s Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals (REDWDS) pilot in early January.

The Dcbel platform was also recently chosen for inclusion in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) demonstration program, which pays for the cost of a bidirectional charging platform such as the Dcbel Ara Home Energy Station and can yield up to $1,300/year in savings, said Duc Duy Tran, original equipment manufacturer sales director at Dcbel.

 Charging during non-peak hours

“The Ara can help either charge at non-peak hours or even use electrons that are within the household rather than paying for electrons from the grid,” Tran said.

Using electrons in the house could involve configuring the Ara system to draw from solar and battery storage before consuming power from the grid.

The Ara Home Energy Station usually costs about $10,000 and is free to participants in the MassCEC program, Tran said. It includes an AC charger, a DC bidirectional charger, a hybrid solar inverter and a battery interface device. With these options, customers can choose whether to add solar or batteries.

For California’s REDWDS pilot, eligible bidirectional charging stations include the Dcbel Ara Home Energy Station paired with the 2018–2025 Nissan Leaf, 2025 Polestar 3, or 2025 Volvo EX90; Wallbox bidirectional units paired with 2024–2026 Kia EV9 EVs and Sunrun systems paired with 2022–2025 Ford F-150 Lightning EVs.

Under the REDWDS program, EV drivers–including companies with heavy-duty EVs and school districts with electric buses–can make up to $3,200 per year per vehicle by exporting excess EV energy to the grid, according to Dcbel.

Participating REDWDS drivers, companies or school districts can receive incentives of up to $13,800. for charging equipment. Dcbel hasn’t yet shipped any of its systems under the three pilot programs and expects its first installation in the coming weeks, Tran said.

To help its customers avoid interconnection hassles, Dcbel’s installers assess sites, design systems and apply for utility interconnection. Interconnection delays vary from state to state, Tran added.

Customers choosing vehicle-to-home systems

Under these programs, Dcbel is seeing customers choose vehicle-to-home installations first, and expects more V2G installations in the future, Tran said.

The MassCEC and California REDWDS programs have different objectives. MassCEC is studying charging behavior and its impact on the grid, while the REDWDS program aims to determine how dynamic rates can motivate or influence drivers’ charging behavior.

“Having the two programs together is providing us with tremendous input into our product roadmap and development,” Tran said.

 The need for standardization and two-way rules

 To expand V2G, bidirectional charging equipment needs to be standardized, Tran said.

Steve Letendre, an energy economist, senior advisor to the Vehicle-Grid Integration Council, and founder and editor of V2G News, said that bidirectional charging technology is trapped by one-way rules.

Right now, only rooftop solar can export power from homes and buildings to the grid, Letendre said. In most jurisdictions, EV owners are prohibited from exporting power to the grid. That’s due to rules and regulations that govern how the grid operates. But pilot programs like those in Massachusetts and California aim to begin deploying V2G and to work toward scaling up sales and lowering the price of the technology, he said.

The V2X programs not only help reduce costs but also educate consumers, Tran said.

“They will allow people to be exposed to new ways of using the battery inside their EVs,” he said.