- The Acura RSX Prototype, the first vehicle to be built on the company's new global EV platform, will help attendees visualize future V2H/V2G capabilities along with a bi-directional home charging station concept
- American Honda and Southern California Edison to test V2H/V2G technology with future Honda and Acura EVs
- Fastport eQuad Prototype, an all-new last-mile electrified quad vehicle that recently won a prestigious "Red Dot: Best of the Best 2025" Design Concept Award, and the hydrogen-powered CR-V e:FCEV will make their RE+ debuts
At CES 2025, Honda announced the intention to utilize its future EVs as "Virtual Power Plants" that will empower our customers to be part of strengthening their local power grids. For example, a future Honda or Acura EV might charge itself by selecting times of the day when electricity costs are lower and renewable energy can be utilized and then send back excess energy for household use or to the grid during times when electricity costs are higher, thereby wisely managing the entire household's electricity bill. The Honda display at RE+ will demonstrate the company's vision for this concept for the first time.
"Honda continues to leverage our deep experience in battery, solar and fuel cell technologies to provide our customers a wide range of zero-carbon vehicle and home energy solutions," said Gary Robinson, vice president of Sustainability & Business Development at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "In the future, we want to make every Honda EV not just a vehicle but a home energy solution capable of saving our customers money while also offering the societal benefit of helping stabilize public power grids."
American Honda and Southern California Edison (SCE) recently agreed to begin testing of vehicle to home (V2H) and vehicle to grid (V2G) technologies, using future Honda and Acura EVs. The goal of the collaboration is to develop systems and best practices that will enable EV owners to use their vehicles as backup power sources for their homes in the case of a power outage and to use their vehicles to power their home during period of high demand on the power grid. This can help EV owners save money on total energy costs for their vehicle and their home while supporting grid reliability. ChargeScape, a vehicle-grid integration platform established through a joint venture between Honda, BMW, Ford and Nissan, will support the initiative on behalf of Honda. The ChargeScape software platform is designed to seamlessly integrate EVs into the electric grid. Additional details on the test program will be shared later.
"SCE is excited to collaborate with Honda to help unlock our customers' ability to use their electric vehicles for more than just transportation," said Funmi Williamson, Chief Customer Officer and Senior Vice President, Customer Service at Southern California Edison. "The technologies resulting from this collaboration will not only let them drive clean but will also help them use those vehicles to power their homes during outages and help the grid during times of peak demand."
Already, Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX EV owners can take advantage of potential home energy cost savings with managed charging or V1G. Utilizing Honda and Acura Home Charging Station 48 amp chargers and the companion Emporia app, the program calculates the optimal time to charge a vehicle from the electric grid around the driver's daily schedule. By capturing the customer's charging preferences and minimum battery threshold, the system charges the vehicle, ensuring availability without interfering with its use. As a reward for reducing strain on the energy grid of participating local utilities, qualifying EV owners can earn various incentives specific to each local utility.
Honda currently offers home and vehicle energy management technologies through Honda Home Electrification and Acura Home Electrification, online marketplaces designed to make it simple and convenient for Honda and Acura EV drivers to set up the home charging option that best suits their lifestyle. Customers may also choose to install additional home electrification products, including rooftop solar, home batteries, energy monitors, and heat pump water heaters. These products help customers to minimize energy costs, reduce the environmental impact of driving their vehicle, and be part of the collective effort to develop a more resilient power grid.
Honda's participation at RE+ 25 will include company experts contributing to two panel discussions, both on Tuesday, Sept. 9. From 10:30-11:25 am at the ‘Electric Drive Theatre' in Ceasars Forum, Honda will host a panel featuring Southern California Edison, ChargeScape, Electrum and Emporia to discuss "Unlocking the Value of the Vehicle-to-Grid Interface (VGI)." Later that day from 4:00-5:00 pm at Veronese 2503, level 2 in the Venetian Expo, a Honda energy expert will participate in a discussion titled "There Are a Lot of Different Ways to Value Stack an EV…"
