Accelerating Vehicle-to-Grid Innovation


V2G Ecosystem

Mass EV adoption will test the limits of power grids


Electric power grids are already struggling with rising costs, declining reliability, and seasonal outages. The growing demand from electric vehicles (EVs) and other technologies that require electricity could increase the load on our power grids by up to 38% by 2050.

Increasing grid capacity is not feasible, but we can make them smarter. Adding more local power sources and enabling grids to communicate with and pull power from these distributed energy resources (DERs) will help relieve some of the pressure.

An infographic illustrating 700 million EVs on the road by 2050.
Image of EV at charging station

EVs are poised to transform the energy landscape


EVs with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology are gaining momentum as a promising solution for generating the electricity needed to power mass EV adoption and fast charging. Some experts predict dealerships will carry numerous EV makes and models with V2G technology by 2024.

EVs spend most of their time parked—all the while storing enough energy to power a household for three days. Using bidirectional power flow, V2G-enabled EVs can return some of that electricity to the grid during peak usage. Many experts see V2G technology as the next frontier for EVs, but transforming battery packs into energy sources for the grid requires extensive conformance testing of interconnection, communication, and power flow.

Experts weigh in on the new vehicle-to-grid frontier

Illustration of EV charging

Stakeholders across the EV ecosystem must operate in lockstep


Utilities, automakers, and charging infrastructure organizations must collaborate to define new standards and regulations to make EVs a viable power source for the grid.

Currently, each group operates independently, which creates a lot of complexity and inefficiency. Utility companies manage local power grids and enforce the rules and standard test requirements for DERs, such as EVs. Additionally, the various global EV charging standards make it difficult for EV and EVSE manufacturers to ensure global compliance of interconnection with the local grid.

Overcoming these challenges will require all stakeholders to work together to ensure that EVs can be safely integrated into the grid and play a more significant role in supporting the grid's reliability and resilience. Interoperability and standardization are essential for successfully transitioning to a grid-connected EV ecosystem.

Learn more about grid compliance

Enabling EV-grid integration


The EV ecosystem is becoming more dynamic and complex, and we expect things to evolve quickly in the coming years. A lot can happen in the two to five years it takes to bring a new model to market, from new standards and technological capabilities to changing consumer expectations. So, how can you protect your investment and ensure that the car or charging station you're building today meets the requirements of tomorrow?

Doing more testing in a virtual environment gives you more flexibility. Keysight bridges the gap between your EV or EVSE and your local grid by bringing real-world conformance testing into the lab. Using true-to-life emulations, you can run extensive testing against the latest standards, protocols, and realistic scenarios. We also participate in developing power, EV, and EVSE standards to ensure our emulations and test cases conform to upcoming standards and trends across the ecosystem.

What's next in e-mobility starts here

Keysight empowers automakers and charging station companies to accelerate EV development and deployment. Our design, emulation, and validation solutions help you overcome the EV industry's toughest engineering challenges, from extending battery range and improving power conversion to delivering faster, more reliable charging.

Keysight's industry-leading emulation solutions bring the entire EV ecosystem into the lab, providing system-level insights about how your vehicle and charger will perform in real-world scenarios, extreme environmental conditions, and against the latest industry standards.

Want help or have questions?