Ford and is working with Arizona security company Resideo to explore vehicle-to-home (V2H) energy management schemes.

Called the EV-Home Power Partnership, the joint simulation project will explore the potential of electric vehicle batteries to support home energy management. The project will test and quantify the user benefits of pairing bi-directional EV charging with a Resideo smart thermostat to help users save money on monthly electric bills.

This should also reduce strain on the US electric grid and enable the use of cleaner energy, while helping improve homeowner comfort.

Ford (corporate.ford.com), the first in the USA to introduce a full-size electric truck capable of bi-directional charging for the home in North America, and Resideo, a provider of products for home comfort, security and safety, and residential load management programmes for utilities, are exploring home energy management value using engine vehicles.

The F-150 Lightning electric truck already has the capability to power the home in the event of an outage through available intelligent backup power. The EV Home Power Partnership project will simulate the integration of Resideo’s smart thermostats with the energy stored in the battery on the F-150 Lightning, which can be smartly coordinated to help power the home’s heating and cooling.

The project is designed to assess how coordination of a bi-directional EV and a smart thermostat can reduce the overall energy needed by the home during times of electric grid stress while reducing energy usage during the most expensive hours each day by automating the home to match a consumers’ time-of-use (ToU) electricity rate. Additionally, it will assess how the coordination between the battery and smart thermostat can enable a system to leverage cleaner energy from the grid if renewable energy is readily available.

“Driving electric is unlocking an entirely new world of personal energy management that could not only save our customers time and money, but also help support a more sustainable energy grid,” said Bill Crider, Ford’s head of charging and energy services. “Successful vehicle-to-home energy management would give Ford EV drivers as well as utilities and power companies the confidence to accelerate future vehicle-to-grid services never-before thought possible with traditional vehicles.”

Electric vehicle battery storage can play an integral role in helping stabilise the electric grid, allowing homeowners to remain comfortable during power outages or other energy events as well as save money by using stored energy during peak demand, when energy costs tend to be higher. Together, Ford and Resideo are envisioning the possibilities when electric vehicles and homes can share the same energy source and smartly interact with each other for the benefit of the user and the electric grid.

“The two largest contributors to an individual’s carbon-emission footprint are usually their car and the heating and cooling of their home,” said Dana Huth, executive vice-president at Resideo. “With this EV Power Partnership project, we can discover new ways for F-150 Lightning owners to utilise their EV battery to power their home’s heating and cooling and to help build a home energy management strategy that can optimise their home’s comfort and energy use. By creating energy-efficient ecosystems between trusted global brands, our Resideo grid services team can help ensure a more resilient electric grid for the community, prepare it for more renewables and deliver energy savings for consumers.”

Project work has begun and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024.

Resideo (Resideo.com) is a manufacturer and developer of technology-driven products and components that provide critical comfort, energy management, and safety and security to over 150 million homes globally. Resideo’s First Alert brand delivers safety and security to consumers and professionals. The company either manages or participates in 256 US utility demand management programmes and participates directly in four wholesale energy markets.