Residents in Massachusetts have the opportunity to receive free bidirectional electric vehicle chargers through their participation in a statewide bidirectional charging demonstration program.
Managed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (CEC), this initiative aims to install bidirectional chargers at homes and with fleet operators to showcase how electric vehicles can support the grid and provide backup power for buildings.
Participants with electric vehicles capable of bidirectional charging will receive complimentary charging equipment, including installation costs covered, in exchange for sharing data on charger usage and maintenance. They may also provide feedback on their experience with bidirectional chargers. At the end of the program, EV owners will be able to keep the chargers.
The program is relatively small in scale, with plans to allocate 50-60 chargers for single-family homes in environmental justice communities, 30-40 chargers for commercial fleets at multiple locations, and 10-20 chargers for electric school buses at three sites.
Applications for the program will open in April, with onsite assessments scheduled from July to December. The CEC aims to complete charger installations by September 2026, with data reporting concluding in December of the same year.
While various pilot programs have explored the ability of EVs to discharge power for other uses, the relevance has increased as automakers like General Motors and Hyundai/Kia introduce more vehicles with bidirectional charging capability. California is even considering a mandate for bidirectional charging in future EVs sold within the state.