GM and PG&E to Test Program for Electric Vehicles to Boost Power Grid

The technology could help PG&E customers retain power during what are known as public-safety power shutoffs, or pre-emptive outages meant to reduce the risk of power lines sparking wildfires during windstorms. PG&E has frequently resorted to such outages in recent years after its power lines ignited a series of wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that killed more than 100 people.

“Not only is this a huge advancement for electric reliability and climate resiliency; it’s yet another advantage of clean-powered EVs, which are so important in our collective battle against climate change,” said PG&E Chief Executive

Patti Poppe.

For GM, the idea could help the company market its EVs as backup generators in emergencies, adding to their consumer appeal.

“GM’s collaboration with PG&E further expands our electrification strategy, demonstrating our EVs as reliable mobile sources of power,” said GM CEO

Mary Barra.

PG&E is also planning to adjust its system settings so that power lines in areas at high risk of wildfire shut off immediately on contact, a measure meant to reduce the risk of live wires starting fires. The company piloted such settings last year and now plans to deploy them widely.

“We anticipate that there could be additional outages, but we have an unwavering focus on minimizing the outage impact,”

Sumeet Singh,

PG&E’s chief safety and risk officer, said in an interview last month.

The pilot is one of many efforts under way to test the use of electric vehicles as backup power sources capable of feeding into the grid, rather than just drawing from it. The idea that EV batteries could help supply a region’s power grid during emergencies or peak-demand periods has a name: vehicle-to-grid, or V2G.

GM rival

Ford Motor Co.

F 2.19%

has touted backup-power capability as a selling point for its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck.

Write to Katherine Blunt at [email protected]