GM Energy Makes Home Charging Easier and Hopefully Cheaper

GM Energy is making home charging easier and hopefully less expensive in the long run. GM is rolling out new bundle options for both Ultium home and commercial charging. The home charging unit will also be set up to allow the electric vehicle to power the home if need be. With the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV due to launch soon, GM is anticipating much higher home charging demands. The Ultium chargers will also allow the customer to store power and interact with solar power.

“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, GM Energy. “Our initial Ultium Home offerings represent an opportunity for customers to take greater control over their personal energy independence and resiliency.”

Three Different Ultium Bundles for Different Situations

The initial suite of Ultium Home products will be offered in unique bundle options, providing customers with the ability to select solutions that best meet their energy needs and budget.

Ultium Home V2H Bundle

This bundle is designed for customers who may want to power their homes from their electric vehicle during power outages. The ability to send energy back to the home is referred to as V2H bidirectional charging.

This bundle includes the following products:

• GM’s PowerShift Charger
• Enables V2H bidirectional charging with a compatible GM EV, when paired with Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit
• Up to 19.2 kW AC charge speed
• Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit
• Includes an inverter, home hub and dark start battery
• Safely disconnects the home from the grid

Ultium Home Energy System

This bundle will not only let the customer use their electric vehicle to power their home but it would also allow the customer to store power for use at a later time.

This bundle includes the following products:

• GM’s PowerShift Charger
• Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit
• GM’s PowerBank
• Ultium Home’s PowerBank stationary storage unit can connect to the Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit to extend backup capability and store solar or grid energy
• Available in 5 kW/10.6 kWh and 7 kW/17.7 kWh variants

Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle

This bundle is designed for customers who want to store power to use at their homes in times when the grid is down, but they don’t want to use an electric vehicle.

This bundle includes the following products:

• GM’s PowerBank
• Inverter and home hub
• Solar integration

GM is making arrangements with a company called SunPower

to help customers who want to use solar energy to power their  home and vehicle with clean energy generated on their roof, providing additional value and potential electricity cost-savings.

Each of these Ultium Home products will be connected to the GM Energy Cloud, a software platform which will allow customers to seamlessly manage the transfer of energy between applicable and connected GM Energy assets.

At this point, GM Energy is not saying how much the different bundles of Ultium products will cost or when they will be available.

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Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin. Follow Mary on Twitter.