Max Baumhefner is a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. They can encourage EV drivers to help the grid by offering time-of-use rates, which make it cheaper for owners to charge at times when the grid is not taxed. Baumhefner concluded that if we gave people a little nudging, they would respond. It's possible to keep costs down for all grid users by helping utilities use the infrastructure they already paid for more efficiently.

According to the vice president of customer programs and services at the utility, the trick will be standardization. It would help if the various EV and charging systems were technologically integrated. It's similar to what we saw in the solar industry It was the first time we moved from one-way power flow into homes with other power flows. The EV batteries in the garage need to be used by utilities and charging companies.

How could this work for a customer? EV owners might be asked to provide their batteries during extreme heat events. The customer who's participating knows when their vehicle might be called to provide power Even if it is just a day ahead, giving the customer a heads up can be helpful.

Email or an app could be used to send a notification to the dashboard of the vehicle. If the customer wants to leave town and need a full charge on their EV, they should be able to opt out of the event. The Powerwall home battery fromTesla dispatch power to the grid during peak demand.

During this month's record heat wave, California officials credited residents' response to a daily text alert warning them to stop unnecessary energy usage with avoiding rolling power cuts. The demand on the grid could be decreased with the use of the EV. Pacific Gas and Electric, one of California's major utilities, believes that electric vehicles can help make power outages invisible. If the power goes out, your home should be able to use batteries. There are power plants. It's possible to weather an outage for hours at a time.