California Might Require Bidirectional Charging Capability in EVs

The California legislature has introduced a bill that would mandate bidirectional charging capability for all new EVs sold in the state beginning in 2027. If enacted, SB 233 would ensure every new EV sold in California could discharge power from its battery pack — either back to the grid or as a backup power source for homes.

What the Bill Does

SB 233 passed the California Senate Energy Committee and was headed to the Senate Transportation Committee for further consideration. The bill was sponsored by State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), who argued it would make EVs more attractive to consumers by enabling them to use their car batteries to power their homes during outages or peak demand periods.

Beyond the mandate itself, the bill proposes enhanced incentives for bidirectional charging adoption, with higher funding levels than those available for standard EVs and charging infrastructure. This incentive structure was proposed to begin July 1, 2024 — giving the market a head start before the 2027 vehicle requirement takes effect.

Building on Existing Pilots

California had already expanded bidirectional charging pilot programs the prior year, including a microgrid pilot testing how individually owned EVs could help counter brownouts. One prominent example: the Ford F-150 Lightning's Intelligent Backup Power system, which allows the truck to power a home during grid outages. The pilots also brought benefits to disadvantaged communities and extended participation to single-family homeowners.

Which EVs Already Support It

As of 2023, only a subset of EVs offered bidirectional charging capability. In addition to the F-150 Lightning, Hyundai/Kia/Genesis models built on the E-GMP platform supported it. Lucid said the feature would be enabled soon, and was already shipping compatible home chargers. Volvo equipped its upcoming EX90 with bidirectional AC and DC hardware. Volkswagen announced its mainstream EVs would gain the capability in the near future via software update.

If California's bill becomes law, it would dramatically accelerate adoption — forcing every automaker selling EVs in the state's massive market to build the technology in as a standard feature by 2027.

Originally published by Green Car Reports. Author: Stephen Edelstein.