PG&E adds EVs to V2X program with up to $17,000 in incentives

When the lights go out, a compatible electric vehicle can feed electricity to a house through a bidirectional charger. PG&E has expanded its Vehicle-to-Everything program—V2X, the two-way flow of power between a vehicle, a home or the grid—adding more approved vehicle-and-charger combinations and opening up residential incentives that can reach roughly $17,000.

The new list includes the Nissan Leaf from 2018-2025 with a DCBel Ara charger, the Volvo EX90 from 2025 and Polestar 3 from 2025 with the same charger, and the Kia EV9 from 2024 and newer and Kia EV6 from 2025 and newer with the Wallbox Quasar 2. PG&E also added the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt, Cadillac Celestiq and Cadillac Escalade IQL. Bidirectional Energy and PowerFlex are now approved partners. David Almeida, PG&E’s director of Clean Energy Transportation, said the broader choice helps customers turn an EV into both home backup and a grid asset.

The incentive total is a stack, not a single payment. Residential customers get $2,500 upfront, or $3,000 if they live in a disadvantaged community, plus a $1,500 Early Adopter Incentive for the first 250 enrollees. The new DCBel and Wallbox combinations can also qualify for up to $13,000 through a California Energy Commission grant, subject to eligibility. Hardware still costs thousands of dollars.

The idea is older than the program. The Nissan Leaf has technically supported vehicle-to-grid operation for more than a decade through CHAdeMO, but compatible hardware and utility programs slowed wider use. PG&E says enrollment remains open until June 30, 2027. In California, the Cybertruck became the first AC vehicle-to-grid asset through PG&E in April, while Tesla’s Powershare remains Cybertruck-only for now. PG&E is also backing electric school buses in Fremont, Oakland and San Francisco that can feed power to the grid; more than 90% of the nation’s 500,000 school buses still run on diesel or gas, producing over 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gases a year.

Concretely, a PG&E customer with one of the listed vehicle-and-charger combinations could use the car during an outage, send electricity back when demand spikes and reduce the energy bill along the way. Commercial customers have a separate incentive tier: $2,500 to $3,000 for a 3-phase bidirectional charger under 50 kW, and $4,500 to $5,000 for one at 50 kW or above. The expansion makes the option available to more vehicles, but it is still a utility program built around approved hardware, limited bonuses and grant eligibility—not a universal feature for every EV.