Californian utility Pacific Gas & Electric is collaborating with Ford Motor to explore how the F-150 Lightning light-duty truck electric vehicle (EV) with bidirectional charging technology can interact with the electric grid and improve electric reliability.

One in five EVs in the USA are on the road in PG&E’s service area of northern and central California, where users are often early adopters of clean energy technologies.

PG&E and Ford will test the F-150 Lightning and its intelligent backup power bidirectional charging capabilities in providing backup power for homes in PG&E’s service area. Intelligent backup power, making its debut on the F-150 Lightning, gives users the ability to use bidirectional power technology from their all-electric truck to provide up to ten days of power to their homes during an outage, depending on home energy usage. The first installations of intelligent backup power are beginning in spring 2022, supported by Sunrun as Ford’s preferred installation partner.

Through this early adopter opportunity, PG&E will explore how the technology interconnects to the electric grid, which is necessary for the truck’s battery to power the home, and how it can support resiliency during grid outages. Additionally, PG&E expects to learn more about the overall customer experience to help inform future collaborations as this emerging technology becomes more readily available.

“Today, we are seeing breakthrough opportunities at the intersection of the energy and transportation industries,” said PG&E CEO Patti Poppe. “As more electric vehicles and new charging technology become available, it is critical that we better understand how EVs can interact with the electric grid and how we can best support our customers. Through collaborations with automakers like Ford, we are innovating together for a cleaner, safer and brighter future for all.”

While EVs already provide cleaner air and reduced maintenance costs, among other benefits, testing emerging technologies to optimise EV integration with the electric grid could provide further value to all PG&E customers. Beyond the initial deployment with a small number of homes, PG&E and Ford plan to explore additional use cases and potential for bidirectional charging technology in support of PG&E customers and the grid.

“This is a really big deal to take this next step of bidirectional charging, which Ford is uniquely positioned to do,” said James Farley Junior, CEO of Ford Motor. “We’re really excited to start with PG&E.”

Increasing EV adoption can play a critical role in supporting California’s goals to reduce emissions as transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions in the state, contributing nearly 40%. Passenger vehicles alone account for nearly 29% of the state’s total emissions. By 2035, 100% of California sales of new passenger cars and trucks will have zero tailpipe-emissions.

The electricity fuelling EVs in California comes from one of the cleanest energy mixes in the country. PG&E estimates that 93% of its customers’ electricity in 2021 came from greenhouse gas-free resources.

Through its EV charging infrastructure programmes, PG&E helps reduce one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption – the lack of available places to charge. PG&E helps increase access to EV chargers across light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles through its EV Charge Network, EV Fleet and EV Fast Charge programmes.

Additionally, PG&E offers electric rate plans tailored for EV drivers and provides tools such as PG&E’s EV Savings Calculator and Fleet Calculator to help users understand costs when deciding whether to use an EV.