Chevy Silverado EV turns into a mobile generator with GM’s new home energy bundle

General Motors’ initial new home energy products are now available to purchase, including the equipment necessary to turn your GM-made electric vehicle into a mobile power generator for your home.

GM has been teasing its new home energy products for months, including a home EV charger and vehicle-to-home (V2H) kit that enables a home to pull energy from an EV battery in the event of a blackout. That equipment is now available to customers but only those who live in California, Florida, Texas, Michigan, and New York. The company says it plans to expand to more states in the months to come.

The new bundle, which includes the GM Energy Powershift Charger ($1,699) and GM Energy V2H Enablement Kit ($5,600) is approximately $7,299, the company says. Installation costs and taxes won’t be included and will vary based on a number of factors. GM is working with home EV charging installer Qmerit, which will work with interested customers and provide them a price quote based on location, energy usage, and more.

Right now, GM only has one electric vehicle that’s capable of bidirectional charging: the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV RST. GM has said that the electric Silverado, which has a 200kWh battery that can put out up to 10.2kW of offboard energy, could power a whole house for 21 days.

The Silverado EV is equipped with bidirectional charging capability from the factory. GM’s other EVs, including the GMC Sierra EV Denali, Chevy Equinox and Blazer EVs, and Cadillac Lyriq, will have to wait for over-the-air software updates or even manual updates at a dealership in order to gain the ability.

The idea is to use bidirectional charging equipment to push and pull energy from electric vehicles at any given time. In essence, it treats high-capacity lithium-ion batteries not only as tools to power EVs but also as backup storage cells to charge other electric devices, an entire home, or even to send power to the electrical grid for possible energy savings.

Heatwaves as a result of climate change are putting more stress on electric grids. The Energy Information Administration recently warned that two-thirds of North America could face electricity shortages when temperatures spike over the summer.

An increasing number of EVs are coming out that support bidirectional charging. In addition to the F-150 Lightning, there’s also the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, the upcoming Volvo EX90, and even the lowly Nissan Leaf. Tesla will likely bring the technology to its lineup by 2025.

GM launched GM Energy, its energy spinoff, in 2022 as a way to compete in the rapidly expanding home energy market. The company eventually plans to sell additional equipment, including stationary home batteries and solar panels, in an effort to compete with companies like Tesla in what’s described as a $150 billion market.