General Motors’ new business unit, GM Energy, will offer an initial vehicle-to-home group of products called the Ultium Home energy system for people who want a backup energy source.
The products will provide vehicle-to-home bidirectional charging technology, stationary storage and additional energy management products to residential customers through GM Energy. The products will give people more energy independence by enabling the use of an electric vehicle as backup power for essential home needs during a power outage.
“As GM Energy’s ecosystem of connected products and services continues to expand, we’re excited to provide customers with options for greater energy management beyond the vehicle,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy.
The Ultium Home products will be offered in bundle options so that customers can select what fits their needs and budget. But GM Energy is not releasing the cost or timeline for when all the products will go on sale, saying both will vary based on the bundle package.
“Certain Ultium Home product bundles are planned to be available for order in the fall of 2023,” said Samantha Kennedy, spokeswoman. “More information on that, as well as information relating to how customers can order the initial Ultium Home products, will be made available in future updates.”
GM announced the creation of GM Energy last October. The business unit consists of: Ultium Home and Ultium Commercial and Ultium Charge 360. The three products create a complete ecosystem for business, residential and EV customers to manage their energy usage.
GM introduced Ultium Charge 360 in April 2021 for residential EV customers and followed it up with a fleet option too. It is technology that ties GM’s vehicle mobile apps to other products and services that make it easier for drivers to find charging stations and pay to charge their vehicles. As part of GM Energy, Ultium Charge 360 will expand its existing portfolio of integrated public charging networks, integrated mobile apps, and other products and services over time.
Here are the bundles that Ultium Home energy will offer when they go on sale in the future:
- Ultium Home V2H Bundle: Designed for customers seeking to leverage their compatible GM EVs for vehicle-to-home functionality. It includes GM’s PowerShift Charger and Ultium Home Vehicle-to-Home Enablement Kit.
- Ultium Home Energy System: Designed for customers who want to leverage their compatible GM EV for vehicle-to-home functionality and stationary storage. It includes GM’s PowerShift Charger, Ultium Home vehicle-to-home Enablement Kit and GM’s PowerBank.
- Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle: Designed for customers who want to integrate stationary storage into their home, without the need for an EV. It includes GM’s PowerBank, inverter or home hub.
A stationary energy storage system can store energy and release it in the form of electricity when it is needed.
More:Automakers’ new crisis: Some 70,000 new cars are stuck at factories amid rail car shortage
More:GM CEO Mary Barra opens up on slow EV roll out, return to office
Additionally, customers looking to integrate solar energy can work with SunPower, which is GM Energy’s exclusive solar provider and a preferred EV charger installer. SunPower will deliver power to a home and vehicle with clean energy generated on the roof, GM Energy said.
Each of the Ultium Home products will be connected to the GM Energy Cloud, a software platform that lets customers manage the transfer of energy between GM Energy assets.
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.