Newsom Signs Bill to Require EVs to Have Capability to Power Homes and Grid

Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 59, which gives state regulators the power to require that electric vehicles (EVs) have the capability to power homes and the energy grid.

The law requires the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to study vehicle readiness for “bidirectional charging” technology.

The agencies can require bidirectional capability in EVs if they determine there is a “sufficiently compelling” reason that benefits both car owners and electrical grid. In making this assessment, the CEC must consider vehicle readiness and duty cycles required of vehicles operated by essential service providers.

Newsom wrote in a signing statement that bidirectional capabilities in EVs “have the potential to improve customer energy reliability, resiliency and demand management during electric grid stress events, while supporting our state's transition to zero-emission transportation.” Newsom wrote in a signing statement released late Friday.

An earlier version of the law, introduced in 2023, did not advance.