The US Department of Energy (DOE) released a Strategy for Achieving a Beneficial Vehicle Grid Integration (VGI) Future, developed as part of DOE's EVGrid Assist initiative. The strategy details how DOE will support stakeholders in achieving a future where electric vehicles (EVs) are safely, securely, and reliably connected with the electric grid.

Beneficial vehicle grid integration (VGI) could keep electricity rates affordable for all customers, lower charging costs, and enable timely access to electricity for EV charging. VGI’s portfolio of approaches gives stakeholders a toolkit of options to meet growing energy demands amid the rise in EV deployment.

Building on the vision described in The Future of Vehicle Grid Integration: Harnessing the Flexibility of EV Charging, the VGI Strategy identifies ways DOE will support utilities, EV automakers, regulators, charging providers, aggregators, and other stakeholders as they implement VGI solutions. This approach is centered on three mutually supporting strategies:

• Validate repeatable, extensible VGI solutions

• Support VGI institutional decision-making

• Spur VGI innovation

EV sales are rising while the nation’s electricity system is undergoing changes. New electricity capacity is being added using renewable energy, including distributed solar and energy storage. At the same time, new loads—such as from buildings, industry, and data centers—are coming online. These simultaneous changes increase the importance of the grid edge for grid operations and planning and call for greater collaboration across the electric and transportation sectors.

By partnering with and supporting stakeholders as they deploy VGI solutions, DOE intends to ensure EVs become an asset for the grid, keeping power affordable, resilient, and reliable, while serving drivers’ mobility needs.

EVGrid Assist is a cross-DOE effort that is led by the Office of Electricity’s Advanced Grid Modeling Research Program, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office, and the DOE/DOT Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. EVGrid Assist activities are also coordinated with other grid and grid-edge activities, ensuring a holistic integrated approach.