Vehicle-to-Grid technology: How bidirectional charging works
Vehicle-to-Grid technology: How bidirectional charging works
Publish Date: 2026-04-01 04:53:00
Source Domain: www.evinfrastructurenews.com
EVs have the potential to store energy and discharge it onto the grid as required, operating as mobile batteries.
The energy grid requires more batteries to be deployed as more renewable energy is integrated onto the grid, which has high peak harvesting periods when excess energy can be stored, and to provide backup power during outages.
Transfer of stored energy from an EV to the grid is called vehicle-to-grid (V2G). It requires specialist charging units and advanced software that can facilitate the flow of energy back to the grid. The ability to use large numbers of EVs in a local area will help to improve grid reliability and resilience.
V2G is being made possible by equipping electric vehicles with bidirectional charging capabilities. It is a technology that could bring many benefits for businesses, fleet owners, and EV owners who charge at home, but there are still a number of technical challenges that need to be addressed before we see a wide-scale rollout of V2G operations.
What is V2G technology?
V2G technology allows EVs to become mobile energy storage and power distribution units that can feed energy back into the grid when the demand is high. Using bidirectional charging—a charger that is capable of energy flow both ways—EVs equipped with V2G capabilities can discharge their stored energy based on different signals from the grid.
V2G relies on efficient communication technology to understand load demands and facilitate the movement of energy at the right times. This can help to stabilise the grid and help regions integrate more renewables while simultaneously help EV owners save/make money by selling energy back to the grid.
Smart grid technology is also vital. Because V2G technology involves real-time communication and smart energy management, both technologies need to work in unison to predict demand and start the flow of energy from the EV to the grid. Smart grids provide the…
