On February 19th, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announced the release of the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) power export permit standard, which defines the technical parameters that allow electric vehicle owners to use their vehicles as mobile energy storage devices and sell excess energy back to the grid. This standard outlines the characteristics of devices to achieve bidirectional charging instead of traditional unidirectional current flow to vehicles, effectively allowing electric vehicles to transmit power back to the grid.

This standard defines the characteristics of key areas such as electrical, communication, and network security to allow for power output between EVSE and the power system. With the help of bidirectional or vehicle to grid (V2G) and vehicle to building/home (V2B, V2H) technologies, electric vehicles can act as energy storage devices or mobile energy storage units on the wheels, providing power to homes, buildings, and the grid itself. In addition, this standard can also make it easier for electric vehicle owners to store energy at night or when turned off, and then sell the electricity back to the grid in a profitable way during peak hours, allowing electric vehicle owners to earn back money.

Patrick Hughes, Senior Vice President of Technical Affairs at NEMA, said, "Advanced bidirectional charging technology will play a key role in improving the resilience of our country's power grid and helping electric vehicle owners use their vehicles for more purposes than just from point A to point B. NEMA's Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) power export licensing standards are an important tool for achieving these goals, and local jurisdictions should refer to this standard when licensing these systems

NEMA's mobile division has developed this standard as a practical resource to enhance grid resilience and reflect today's electrification landscape.