Electric vehicles spend most of their lives stationary. Researchers and energy companies now want to put that idle battery capacity to work, turning millions of parked cars into a distributed power resource that steadies the grid and supports renewable energy.
The logic is simple. An EV is a large battery on wheels. Studies cited by the IEA note that cars sit unused for roughly 90% of the time. During those hours, their stored energy could flow back into the network instead of sitting still in a driveway.
What is a virtual power plant?
The broadest version of this idea is the virtual power plant, or VPP. Tesla describes it as a coordinated network of distributed resources, including home batteries, solar panels and EV chargers, that act together like a single station. The US Department of Energy says such systems improve grid flexibility and help match supply and demand in real time.
EVLife has tracked the rise of these systems before, as virtual power plants take off across energy markets.
In a cleaner grid, that pooled capacity could replace fossil fuel peaker plants. These run only during short bursts of high demand and stay idle for much of the year. The World Economic Forum argues that VPPs also make it easier to absorb more wind and solar power.
The appeal is economic as well as technical. The Pew Charitable Trusts says VPPs can strengthen reliability, widen access to affordable clean electricity and cut dependence on fossil fuels.
How could EVs help cities run on solar?
A study published in April 2026 in Nature Communications shows one striking application. Researchers from Columbia University and the Singapore-ETH Centre used Singapore as a test case for tropical cities expanding rooftop solar.
The problem there is weather, not sunshine. Short, intense thunderstorms can cut solar output suddenly, creating a local mismatch between supply and demand. The team modelled a decentralised system where parked EVs discharge into the grid when clouds block the sun, then recharge once conditions clear.
Because tropical storms are brief and highly localised, the shortfall often hits only a few blocks. Parked EVs nearby can supply that power locally, rather than straining the wider network. Markus Schläpfer, a civil engineer at Columbia Engineering and a study author, said the cars act as an energy source during the storm and recharge from solar afterwards.
The benefit is avoided cost. Underground transmission lines in Singapore run to around 60 million Singapore dollars per kilometre. The model also works in car-light districts, because only a limited number of vehicles are needed to provide meaningful backup.
Is this already happening commercially?
The technology already works on real roads. In Gothenburg, Volvo EVs successfully returned power to the local grid in a completed trial.
The commercial rollout is moving fast. In April 2026, Volkswagen confirmed a fully integrated vehicle-to-grid package for private customers in Germany, launching in the fourth quarter. The bundle covers the car, app, tariff, smart meter, bidirectional charger and installation. The company says annual earnings could reach between 700 and 900 euros, and its entire ID. family has been bidi-ready since 2023.
Volkswagen is not alone. According to electrive, similar offerings have come from BMW with E.ON, Ford with Octopus Energy, and The Mobility House with Mercedes-Benz and Renault. Germany only recently cleared the regulatory barriers that had blocked bidirectional charging.
Can an EV power your own home?
Yes, through a related technology called vehicle-to-home. The Ford F-150 Lightning can supply up to 9.6kW to a house during an outage. With the right hardware, it can power an average home for up to several days. The newer Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Silverado EV and Polestar 3 offer comparable backup, though installation costs remain high.
What still holds it back?
Plenty. The international standard for bidirectional charging over CCS connectors, ISO 15118-20, appeared only in 2022 and is not yet applied consistently. Hardware costs, complex installations and utility red tape slow adoption further. Academic reviews also flag control systems and unpredictable charging behaviour as real hurdles.
The direction of travel is clear. As more bidirectional cars reach the roads and regulators catch up, the family EV starts to look less like a parked liability and more like a power station waiting for instructions.
