SACRAMENTO, California — The California Legislature on Saturday approved a bill that would give state regulators the authority to implement a first-in-the-nation requirement to make electric vehicles capable of powering homes and the energy grid.
While car companies are increasingly exploring so-called bidirectional charging technology — which allows EVs to act as batteries that can supply energy — the vast majority of models currently on the market don’t include the capability.
State Sen. Nancy Skinner’s S.B. 59 could supercharge manufacturers’ adoption of bidirectional charging by allowing the California Energy Commission to study and potentially mandate the technology.
California represents the largest car market in the United States and has used that influence in the past to get buy-in from auto companies on emissions standards and electric vehicles sales targets.
