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Extreme weather fuelled by climate change is putting increasing strain on power supplies across Europe. Heatwaves are spiking demand for cooling, high temperatures are causing grid inefficiencies and failures, and storms and wildfires are damaging electrical infrastructure.

As these events grow more frequent and intense, households are increasingly looking at how to prepare for the next crisis – including securing backup power of their own.

For electric vehicle owners, the solution could already be sitting in the driveway.

A growing number of car models can now be plugged directly into a home’s electricity meter, powering key appliances during an outage. And the technology doesn’t stop at backup: some vehicles can send power the other way too, feeding electricity back into the grid and earning their owners money.

It’s part of a growing trend: automakers are expanding their multibillion-euro electrification investments into home and grid energy services, not just cars.

“They’re trying to look for other businesses that they might sell into,” says Parth Vaishnav, assistant professor of sustainable systems at the University of Michigan.

Vehicle-to-grid tech could save Europe billions

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology allows surplus renewable energy to be stored in EV batteries and then discharged to the power grid when needed.

A properly deployed V2G system across Europe could save up to €22 billion a year in energy system costs like grid upgrades by 2040 – and as much as €175 billion cumulatively between 2030 and 2040 – according to research from the Fraunhofer Society commissioned by Transport & Environment.

It would also reduce the need for curtailment – when renewable energy generators are paid to turn off due to supply outstripping demand.

Germany alone curtailed around 9,374 GWh of renewable electricity in 2024 – enough to power roughly three million EVs for a year – energy that a V2G system could instead store and put to use rather than waste.

Your EV could earn you money while you sleep

It’s also good news for individual car owners, who could benefit financially by selling energy back to the grid.

Volkswagen, working with its energy brand Elli, is preparing a fully integrated V2G offer for private customers in Germany, with market launch planned for the fourth quarter of 2026 and pre-registration already open.

The system rolls the electric vehicle, a smart meter, a bidirectional charger and an energy tariff into one package – and under favourable conditions, VW says owners could earn between €700 to €900 a year simply by letting their car’s battery flex with the energy market while it’s parked overnight.

“Electric mobility can only realise its full potential if it also makes economic sense for our customers,” says Martin Sander, a Volkswagen board member responsible for sales and marketing. “With Vehicle-to-Grid, we are delivering exactly that.”

Nissan has announced plans to roll out affordable bidirectional charging in 2026, starting in the UK before expanding to other European markets. Kia and Hyundai have reportedly launched a V2G service in the Netherlands for select models, and Mercedes-Benz has announced bidirectional charging for its electric GLC through a partnership with The Mobility House. In the UK, BYD has paired one of its models with an Octopus Energy tariff to let drivers export power back to the grid.

Some of the hardware behind these launches is European-made: the bidirectional chargers used in several pilots come from Wallbox, an EV-charging company founded in Barcelona.

Using your EV for backup power

Beyond the earning potential, V2G-enabled EVs also promise resilience. A charged EV battery can typically keep key home systems – fridges, medical equipment, lighting, a well pump – running for several days during an outage, depending on what’s drawing power.

Ford, for example, has built a system letting owners of certain hybrid and electric pickups in the US plug directly into their home’s electric meter via an adapter and a transfer switch, at an installation cost starting around €1,000 – far cheaper than a conventional standby generator.

“The way we think about it, especially for customers who already have a compatible vehicle is, you already own the power source, it’s in your driveway,” says Amanda Roraff, Ford’s grid and energy services business acceleration lead.

American automakers are leaning into this technology partly because EV sales have cooled there – down nearly a quarter year-on-year in the first half of 2026, according to Cox Automotive.

In Europe, where EV interest remains stronger, the same technology is becoming a core reason to buy, alongside lower running costs and emissions.

Not quite plug-and-play yet

The technology comes with real caveats. Only a limited number of EV models currently support true bidirectional charging, and the hardware – a bidirectional charger plus installation – can cost several thousand euros more than a standard home charge point.

Utilities must approve the setup before it can be connected, a process that can take time, and some manufacturers have raised questions about battery warranty and degradation from the extra charge cycles involved.

Even so, researchers say the direction of travel is clear.

“We already know [the impact of] providing electricity to the home during an outage,” says Scott Samuelsen, engineering professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine. “This is going to become very, very popular.”