Toyota and Pepco Pioneer Revolutionary Vehicle-to-Grid Technology Research in Maryland

Toyota Motor North America and Pepco, a local energy utility, are joining forces to conduct research on Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), utilizing a Toyota bZ4X. This joint venture will delve into bidirectional power flow technology, enabling BEV owners to charge their vehicle’s battery and also contribute power back to the local energy grid. V2G technology holds the promise of enhancing customer benefits through improved energy reliability and resilience, integration of renewables, and potential reduction in electricity costs.

The goal of this partnership is to comprehend the requirements of EV owners by studying their charging patterns and vehicle usage, which will be pivotal in promoting the widespread acceptance of V2G technology. Currently, about 80 percent of owners charge their EVs at home overnight when energy demand is at its lowest. With bidirectional functionality, these vehicles could potentially feed power back to the local energy grid during peak demand periods or other critical times, such as during severe weather conditions.

Christopher Yang, Group Vice President of Toyota EV Charging Solutions, stated, “Bidirectional charging offers a fantastic opportunity for customers to utilize their electric vehicles in a manner that supports the grids and their home electricity ecosystem. Collaborating with Pepco will enable us to understand charging and discharging scenarios, which will ultimately be beneficial for our customers and assist utility providers in better comprehending grid demands.”

Maryland, one of the fastest-growing EV markets in the country, aims to have 300,000 EVs on its roads by 2025. Pepco is facilitating this growth by installing 250 EV chargers across Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. In April, Maryland became the first state to enact vehicle-to-grid legislation with the passage of HB 1256 – the Distributed Renewable Integration and Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE) Act, mandating utilities to establish interconnection processes for bidirectional chargers.

Tyler Anthony, President and CEO of Pepco Holdings, said, “Pepco is spearheading the energy transformation in the communities we serve by adopting technology that aids the clean energy transition. V2G is designed to connect with the local energy grid and is part of our strategy to ensure a successful and equitable energy transition. This partnership with Toyota allows us to gain a deeper understanding of V2G technology and its impact on the grid, our customers, and overall service reliability as we collectively strive for a more sustainable and resilient future for the communities we serve.”

The V2G research will be conducted at Pepco’s Watershed Sustainability Center, situated at the company’s Rockville Service Center in Montgomery County, Maryland, using a bidirectional charger. Pepco will spearhead the effort to design and assess a range of EV charging and discharging scenarios that could potentially offer grid and customer benefits. The demonstration project will also aid Pepco in understanding the infrastructure required to facilitate the rapid expansion of EV charging infrastructure and the intricacies of interconnecting a large number of V2G assets to the grid, better equipping the utility to implement the requirements of the DRIVE Act and support customer adoption of this technology.

At present, Toyota offers two mass-market BEVs in the U.S. and Canada – the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ. Toyota recently unveiled plans for two brand-new three-row BEV SUVs that will be assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (TMMI). By 2030, Toyota aims to offer 30 BEV models globally across its Toyota and Lexus brands and manufacture up to 3.5 million BEVs annually.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.