DETROIT – Floridians avoiding electric cars may have a better reason to get one after 2026 when they could essentially also do double duty as a generator if the power goes out.

In an announcement this week, General Motors (GM) said it would expand vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging technology across its retail portfolio of Ultium-based electric vehicles by model year 2026. In 2024, several models will come with it, including certain electric versions of the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac LYRIQ and the upcoming Cadillac ESCALADE IQ.

Owners of those GM cars will, according to the company, “be able to transfer energy from their vehicles to a properly equipped home when desired. The technology allows consumers to store and transfer energy to help offset electricity needs during peak demand days and mitigate the impact of power outages, making the transition to an all-electric future even more compelling.”

“By integrating V2H across our entire Ultium-based portfolio, we are making this groundbreaking technology available to more consumers, with benefits that extend well beyond the vehicle itself – and at broader scale than ever before,” says Wade Sheffer, vice president, GM Energy.

Information about GM Energy and its ecosystem of available product and service offerings through Ultium Home, Ultium Commercial and Ultium Charge 360 can be found on GM’s website.

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