The idea is perfect: millions of EV batteries acting as a virtual power plant to backup the grid. The reality is messy.
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) allows cars to send power back to the grid during peak hours. On paper, it could solve the intermittency of wind and solar. In practice, we are stuck in a "chicken or the egg" problem between automakers, charger manufacturers, and utilities.
The Warranty Question
Automakers are hesitant. If you use your car battery to earn $500 a year from the grid, does that void your 8-year warranty? Cycling the battery more frequently degrades it faster. Who pays for that degradation?
Standards are Coming
The good news is that ISO 15118-20 is finally standardizing the communication protocol for V2G. We are seeing pilot programs in PG&E and National Grid territories move beyond proof-of-concept into real-world trials.