Want V2G to Work? Upgrade the Grid First

A University of Michigan study says grid upgrades must come before V2G charger rollout, or utilities will pay for it later

8 May 2026

A new study published in the journal Joule has concluded that electricity grid upgrades must come before the widespread deployment of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers, technology that allows electric vehicles to return power to the grid, if the approach is to deliver meaningful economic and operational benefits.

Researchers at the University of Michigan, working with partners in Singapore and Hong Kong, modelled California's Bay Area under full EV adoption from 2030 to 2050. Using detailed simulations that combined local charging patterns with distribution-level grid data, the team assessed three charger types under two investment strategies. Utilities that plan grid capacity around expected 30-year demand can deploy V2G chargers to turn EV fleets into dispersed storage networks. Those that invest only for near-term needs are left with infrastructure too limited to support full EV adoption, even if advanced bidirectional chargers are already in the ground.

"V2G has been discussed for the past 20 years. Our study lays a foundation to express the context that maximises V2G capability." – Ziyou Song, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, University of Michigan, and co-corresponding author

The findings arrive as federal programmes direct large sums into EV infrastructure across the United States. California's target of near-total EV adoption by 2035 narrows the window available to utilities for planning. The study argues that deferring grid upgrades in favour of faster charger rollout risks embedding structural inefficiencies that prove costlier over time than a proactive modernisation strategy.

However, the model is calibrated specifically to the Bay Area, a region with high concentrations of both EVs and solar generation, and may not translate directly to other US markets. Its broader contribution is a planning principle: sequencing grid investment before V2G deployment is what determines whether the technology fulfils its promise of stabilising electricity demand at scale.