What if your parked car helped keep the lights on?

A transportation asset could sometimes become part of a power network—if the hardware, economics and rules make sense.

Most electric vehicles spend much of their lives parked. During those hours, their batteries hold a substantial amount of stored energy. With suitable equipment and agreements, some cars could charge when electricity is plentiful, avoid charging when the grid is strained, and perhaps return power when it is particularly valuable. Thousands of vehicles acting together could become a surprisingly useful resource for an electricity system. Turning that possibility into routine service requires compatible chargers, sound pricing, battery protection and customer trust.