American legacy automaker General Motors (GM) is entering the energy management business with GM Energy, an all-encompassing connected energy management solution for EV buyers, commercial establishments, and residential applications. GM Energy would offer solar products, energy storage, bi-directional charging, V2H (vehicle-to-home) and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) applications, cloud management, hydrogen fuel cells, microgrid solutions, and more to improve grid resiliency.
“GM Energy has the opportunity to help deliver sustainable energy products and services that can help mitigate the effect of power outages and provide customers with resilient and cost-effective energy management,” said Travis Hester, Vice President of GM EV Growth Operations.
GM Energy Services Cloud
GM launched Ultium Charge 360 in 2021, the automaker’s integrated charging network that works with GM mobile apps and other services to make EV charging a breeze. The carmaker partnered with EVgo to debut the first Ultium-ready DC fast chargers across 500 charging stations in the continental United States. Ultium Charge 360 is now under the GM Energy umbrella, including the recently-announced Ultium Home and Ultium Commercial.
The brains of the entire GM Energy operation is the Energy Services Cloud. It houses data and energy management tools that allow customers to access GM Energy’s residential, commercial, and fleet energy assets using dedicated software applications. “With the expansion of our enterprise business through GM Energy and one of the most comprehensive portfolios of energy management products and services available, we will help to reduce the barriers of entry for sustainable power and further accelerate the mass adoption of EVs,” Hester added.
Mass Adoption
GM claims numerous large-scale enterprises have agreed to be part of the GM Energy ecosystem. SunPower and the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) are among those. SunPower is a leading energy service and solar technology supplier, while PG&E is one of the most prominent electricity and natural gas providers in America.
GM Energy is working with SunPower to create an efficient home energy storage solution to allow EV owners to power their homes using their battery-electric cars in the event of blackouts or power outages. SunPower would become the preferred installer for GM Energy’s home energy solutions. You can expect GM Energy and SunPower’s new home energy system to launch alongside the new 2024 Chevy Silverado EV in the fall of 2023.
Meanwhile, GM Energy and PG&E are working on a pilot V2H (vehicle-to-home) project that enables EV owners to power their homes using compatible EVs with a bi-directional charger, which is handy during short-term power outages or when in need of backup power. PG&E will expand GM Energy’s V2H technology to residential customers within the power company’s service area by early 2023.
“By leveraging GM’s flexible technology platforms and the power of Ultium, we’re able to provide resilient and accessible energy solutions for all customers and the grid, helping to advance the all-electric future further,” concluded Mark Bole, Vice President and Head of V2X Battery Solutions at GM. “The massive scale of GM Energy’s solutions will allow us to better address current challenges with grid infrastructure, energy storage, and energy management.”
