General Motors’ charging and energy business, GM Energy, has released details on its consumer-facing services.
The Ultium Home suite now includes three bundles which offer V2H functionality and the integration of renewable energy storage, with or without an EV.
The new solutions are the first available to residential customers through GM Energy after GM established the business in the autumn of 2022.
GM Energy said it designed the bundles “to provide greater energy independence, resiliency and value, enabling the use of backup power for essential home needs during times when energy is unavailable from the grid”.
Said backup power mainly relies on V2X-ready electric cars. However, the third option called Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle does not require customers to own an electric car.
Instead, it utilises GM’s PowerBank, inverter and the home hub.
When launching GM Energy, the company had already previewed such a solution and worked with SunPower, a solar technology and energy services provider.
This cooperation was confirmed today.
As for the other two options involving an electric car, GM intends to launch the new system for V2H services in synch with the Chevrolet Silverado EV, expected in 2024.
The Ultium Home V2H Bundle will include GM’s PowerShift Charger, which enables bidirectional charging with a compatible GM EV when paired with Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit.
The latter includes said inverter and home hub alongside a dark start battery. It delivers up to 19.2 kW AC charge speed and 9.6 kW discharge power.
The following service in the lineup, the Ultium Home Energy System, offers all of the above with the addition of the GM PowerBank (think Tesla’s solar batteries).
The Ultium stationary storage unit can connect to the V2H kit to provide backup and store solar or grid energy. It is available in 5 kW/10.6 kWh and 7 kW/17.7 kWh variants.