Almost every big automaker has announced their transition to electric vehicles over the past decade. While we often focus solely on the zero emission KPI or the smooth acceleration of those vehicles, we pay little attention to what else these “machines” can do for us.
Ultimately, electric vehicles are massive batteries. For comparison: a Tesla Powerwall has 13.5 kWh of storage capacity, the Model S at least 60 kWh. Electric vehicles are great for mobility, but they might become game changers if we think of them as a distributed energy resource (DER).
Ford Motor Company recently announced their partnership with energy growth company Sunrun to explore the intersection between energy, housing and mobility:
Your solar roof charges your vehicle cheaply during the day. When the sun sets, and electricity gets pricy, you decide to use the excess energy in your vehicle to save some dollars. And even better: When the grit shuts down entirely, a vehicle like the F150 Lightening can power your entire household for up to three days.
It’s still a long path to V2G, but the vision is very appealing
New Energy Ecosystem: The Dual Role of Electric Vehicles
