GM Activates Vehicle-to-Grid for 250,000 Existing EVs, Launches Sodium-Ion Storage Strategy and Unified Charging App
GM announced firmware updates, a new Energy Pass charging feature, and commercial sodium-ion battery plans at a June 9 event in San Francisco.
The VergeGeneral Motors activated vehicle-to-grid capabilities for its current EV and home energy customers at an event in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. The company also released a commercial energy storage strategy built around sodium-ion batteries and introduced Energy Pass, a feature that lets owners charge across multiple networks through a single app.
U.S. Roads. Their combined battery capacity equals the amount needed to power 120,000 homes for up to a week. Existing vehicle-to-home customers will receive the vehicle-to-grid firmware update automatically.
He added that V2G technology can lower aggregate energy costs, create a potential financial return for the consumer, and enhance the systemic reliability of the broader grid. The company is testing the approach with utilities in two states. In Northern California, GM is partnering with PG&E to develop a localized fleet of 52,000 EVs for grid balancing protocols, scheduled to be operational by 2030.
In Michigan, it is working with DTE Energy to stress-test bidirectional charging using 30 of its own employees’ homes. Wade Sheffer, GM Energy vice president, wrote an open letter urging regulators to formalize V2G infrastructure. He cited International Energy Agency reports that identify V2G as the technology offering the largest hourly flexibility to limit future grid investment costs.
For industrial-scale storage, GM is partnering with California-based Peak Energy to develop and deploy sodium-ion chemistry. The company said sodium-ion batteries prioritize longevity, high cycle and calendar life, and intense cost-efficiency. -manufactured batteries and second-life EV packs.
Separately, GM announced Energy Pass, which will appear across its mobile apps for Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC EV owners. The feature lets users find, start, and pay for charging at stations operated by Tesla, Electrify America, and IONNA without separate accounts. GM plans to add EVgo and ChargePoint.
The company uses Tesla’s NACS charging standard for its future vehicles. GM launched its GM Energy spinoff in 2022. It sells home EV chargers, stationary home batteries, and vehicle-to-home kits through the unit.
The Verge reported the announcements.
