CHAPTER
8.8. Electric Vehicles
44269.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:(1) “Beneficial bidirectional-capable use case” means the usage of bidirectional-capable electric vehicles and bidirectional electric vehicle service equipment in a manner that results in electrical reliability and resiliency benefits.
(2) “Bidirectional capable” means the ability of an electric vehicle to both charge and discharge electricity through electric vehicle service equipment, as modified pursuant to Section 44269.3.
(3) “Bidirectional charging” means charging
capability that enables an electric vehicle to either be charged by the electrical grid or an onsite energy resource, or and discharge stored energy capacity to the electrical grid or to serve an adjacent home or building. through electric vehicle service equipment to either serve a local energy load, such as an adjacent home or building, or export it to the electrical grid.
(4) “Bidirectional electric vehicle service equipment” means electric vehicle service equipment capable of both charging and discharging
electricity from an electric vehicle.
(5) “Board” means the State Air Resources Board.
(6) “Commission” means the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission.
(7) “Electric vehicle” means a battery electric or hybrid vehicle that uses an electric battery and electric motor for mobility.
(8) “Electric vehicle service equipment” has the same meaning as defined in Section 44268.
(9) “Interoperability” has the same meaning as described in Section 680.108 of Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(10) “Light-duty motor vehicle”
has the same meaning as defined in Section 2211 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.
(b) The definitions provided in this section may be modified or updated pursuant to Section 44269.3.
44269.1.
(a) The commission, in consultation with the board, shall, on or before June 30, 2024, convene a stakeholder workgroup to examine challenges and opportunities associated with using an electric vehicle as a mobile battery to power a home (vehicle-to-home) or building (vehicle-to-building) or providing to provide electricity to the electrical grid (vehicle-to-grid).(b) The commission, in consultation with the stakeholder workgroup, on or before January 1, 2026, shall submit a report to the
Governor and Legislature that includes all of the following:
(1) Potential costs and benefits benefits, and costs to consumers and ratepayers, associated with requiring bidirectional capability for electric vehicle service equipment.
(2) Mechanisms to ensure interoperability between bidirectional capable electric vehicles and bidirectional electric vehicle service equipment.
(3) The resources resources,
including, but not limited to, technological innovation or infrastructure upgrades, needed from entities that operate in the electricity sector sector, including, but not limited to, electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities, to facilitate vehicle-to-building vehicle-to-home, vehicle-to-building, and vehicle-to-grid practices.
(4) The estimated impacts of requiring bidirectional capability for
various vehicle weight classes on the state’s existing zero-emission vehicle programs and goals. goals, which considers the equity impact of requiring bidirectional capability on those programs and goals.
(c) (1) The report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section
is repealed on January 1, 2029.
44269.3.
(a) On or before December 31, 2026, the board, in consultation with the commission and the Public Utilities Commission, shall, by regulation, modify the definition of “bidirectional capable” for electric vehicles in order to specify nonproprietary technical interoperability requirements to support electrical grid reliability and resilience by providing emergency backup electricity or electrical grid services to comply with this chapter. As part of that modified definition, at the time of sale, all necessary electric vehicle components, and their operational parameters, shall be required to support and enable bidirectional capability for purposes of compliance with this chapter.(b) The board may periodically update the definition of “bidirectional capable” and other definitions, including those provided in Section 44269, to ensure the definitions align with current technologies in bidirectional charging and account for ongoing innovation.
(c) On or before December 31, 2026, the board, in consultation with the commission and the Public Utilities Commission, shall, by regulation, modify and further clarify the definition of “beneficial bidirectional-capable use case” for electric vehicles in order to provide additional guidance for determining which electric vehicles are required to comply with Section 44269.4.
44269.4.
(a) Beginning in model year 2030, all new electric vehicles light-duty motor vehicles and schoolbuses sold in California shall be bidirectional capable, including light-duty motor vehicles and schoolbuses, except as specified in subdivision (b). capable.(b)The board may exempt from this section vehicles for which it determines there is not a likely beneficial bidirectional-capable use case.
(b) If the board determines there is a sufficiently compelling beneficial bidirectional-capable use case to warrant imposing a bidirectional-capable mandate on another vehicle type, the board may require that vehicle type to be bidirectional capable beginning in, or after, model year 2030.
(c) This section does not prohibit the board from crediting a manufacturer of a vehicle type that the board does not require to be bidirectional capable pursuant to subdivision (b) for voluntary adoption of bidirectional capability for that vehicle type.