BMW and utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) have started testing technology that allows EVs to supplement the grid.
Testing is taking place at a PG&E lab in San Roman, California, as part of a partnership between the two companies that dates back to 2015, according to a BMW press release. BMW and PG&E previously offered incentives to customers who charged their EVs at times when renewable energy makes up a bigger share of the electricity generation mix.
The current pilot program “is assessing how a typical home could maximize its renewable energy usage by switching between EV battery stored renewable energy and grid-provided renewable energy,” according to BMW.
![2023 BMW i4 2023 BMW i4](https://world-of-cars.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/bmw-tests-how-its-evs-might-supplement-the-grid.jpg)
2023 BMW i4
According to BMW, test results show a BMW i4 eDrive40 capable of providing approximately 140 kwh of grid storage per day, with the capability of storing and returning 27 kwh of renewable energy to the grid. That’s about double the amount of renewable energy that a typical California household uses in a day.
This program has grown out of ChargeForward, BMW told Green Car Reports. That was BMW’s program helping i3 EV drivers charge at times that were smart for their local grid.