DETROIT: General Motors is building lots of electric vehicles (EVs) with vehicle-to-home (V2H) technology.
In addition to being a top-two EV seller in the United States in 2025, the company sold more than 246,000 vehicles equipped with the technology to help provide power to a properly equipped home during an outage.
Through GM Energy, these V2H capable GM EVs pair with available home energy management systems that let your car and house work together.
When the grid goes down, your V2H-capable GM EV can help pick up the slack.
GM Energy is working to make this powerful tech more accessible by exploring a leasing program for GM Energy’s home energy management systems and PowerBank home batteries.
Instead of paying upfront, this solution is aimed at providing homeowners the option to pay monthly, similar to a vehicle lease.
It’s a practical move that lowers the barrier to entry and fits into how people budget. More details will be shared closer to launch.
"We built GM Energy to unlock new benefits unique to EVs. How incredible is it that a GM EV can provide power to your properly equipped home, help manage your energy costs, and in the future will work with the grid?" said GM Energy vice president Wade Sheffer.
"With leasing, we're removing a barrier and trying to make this technology available to any homeowner, not just GM EV owners. This is about giving people a smarter way to manage their energy and getting more value out of every dollar they spend."
Every homeowner's energy needs are different.
As an example, GM Energy said car owners like Jon McNeill wanted reliable backup power and a path toward energy independence.
By combining compatible solar, battery storage, and his Chevrolet Silverado EV, he's managing his energy costs and positioning himself to earn utility incentives.
Some owners have kept the lights on during Gulf Coast hurricanes or West Coast wildfires.
Others are lowering their electric bill by charging overnight and using stored energy during peak hours.
In Texas, GM's "Free Charge Nights" program with Reliant Energy makes that even easier.
Other utilities are getting on board with programs like PG&E's vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot, which can allow EVs to send power back to the home, the grid, or other devices, offering up to US$4,500 (RM17,563) in incentives for eligible applicants on qualifying GM Energy products.
GM Energy has seen positive internal testing for vehicle-to-grid capability, and is now working to certify it with local utilities.
