General Motors unveiled its new business unit, GM Energy, and outlined plans to use the unit as a conduit for finding solutions to existing questions regarding increasing electric vehicle adoption and the stability of the power grid.
GM said the unit would house EV-related products and services for residential and commercial customers. The company envisions a portfolio designed to provide reliability and flexibility as the transportation and energy sectors increasingly converge.
“This all allows us to move into a new white space that’s being created by energy management,” said Travis Hester, vice president of GM EV growth operations.
It will also include “Ultium Charge,” which was started in 2021 with the intention of providing seamless on-the-go charging for EV users.
All GM components included in GM Energy are expected to be available by the end of next year, but according to Hester, the rollout will occur in stages – the first of which already started in August.
Offerings will include bidirectional charging and energy storage, allowing an EV to draw power from an electrical service or send excess power back to utility companies, perhaps for compensation.
“If you’re a customer and allow GM Energy to access, say, 10 percent of your battery on an as-needed basis we can move that energy around,” Hester said.
GM will also provide solar and stationary energy storage products compatible with fuel cells and utilize multiple utility companies to enroll EV customers in charging programs through its Energy Services Cloud. SunPower, a solar technology and energy provider, will offer customers home energy systems consisting of integrated EV batteries, solar panels, and home energy storage.
GM is also working with utility companies like Con Edison, Graniterock, and New Hampshire Electric Cooperative to find solutions to ease the burden of EV adoption on utility companies and strengthen the power grid.
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