Ford Rival GM Debuts Vehicle-To-Home EV Charging System

April 20, 2024 6:02 am

Back in early 2022, The Blue Oval outlined how its Ford Intelligent Backup Power system would work in the then-new Ford F-150 Lightning – a feature capable of powering homes for days at a time, or just storing energy and using it in pricier peak times. Late last year, Ford also announced that it was teaming up with thermostat maker Resideo to explore how vehicle-to-home functions can support home energy management via bi-directional charging from EVs, too. Meanwhile, Ford’s cross-town rival, General Motors, has long been rumored to be working on a vehicle-to-home EV charging system of its own – which the automaker calls its vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging technology – and now, it has officially launched, according to GM Authority.

GM’s vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging technology is rolling out via the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary dubbed GM Energy, and the first vehicle compatible with this new tech is the Chevy Silverado EV RST First Edition. As one might imagine, the concept here is quite simple – the V2H system enables owners to use their EVs as a source of backup power for their homes, which can come in handy during times of blackouts or other weather-related grid disruptions.

If these types of events occur, GM Energy V2H customers can utilize their EV’s battery to power their homes, and those same customers can take advantage of this service in multiple ways. GM Energy is teaming up with Qmerit and plans to bundle its services to include both hardware and software, along with installation, which aims to mitigate the hassles associated with obtaining permits and dealing with utility service providers.

Customers will be able to access the V2H functionality via GM’s mobile app and Energy Live platform, helping make this process a bit easier to manage. Moving forward, GM Energy’s V2H feature will expand to include additional all-electric models as well – encompassing the entire Ultium lineup by 2026 – and soon, it also plans to add solar and stationary energy storage options to the mix as well.

We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.