PG&E expands V2X program with Tesla, Volvo, Nissan and $17K incentives

PG&E, the California utility, has expanded its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) program, which lets an electric car act as a home battery. With a bidirectional charger, one that can send power back out of the car, not just into it, you can run your house off your EV during an outage or send power back to the grid. The program now covers more cars: Nissan Leaf (2018-2025), Volvo EX90 (2025), and Polestar 3 (2025), each paired with a DCBel Ara charger, plus Kia EV9 and EV6 with the Wallbox Quasar 2. It already included Ford, Tesla, Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models, and PG&E added three more GM vehicles to that list. Enrollment runs through June 30, 2027.

The money involved can add up. Homeowners get $2,500 upfront, or $3,000 if they live in a designated disadvantaged community, plus a $1,500 bonus for the first 250 people who sign up. The Kia and Nissan/Volvo/Polestar charger combinations can also qualify for up to $13,000 more through a California Energy Commission grant, depending on eligibility. Stacked together, an early enrollee could see roughly $17,000 in incentives, which offsets a real cost, since bidirectional charging hardware still runs into the thousands of dollars.

This program is only open to PG&E customers in California. If you live elsewhere, bidirectional charging incentives and eligible equipment vary widely, so it's worth checking what your own utility or state offers.