GM Launches Home Energy Ecosystem! Full Tour - EV Charging, Bidirectional Power, & Battery Storage

Summary

The video script discusses the unveiling of GM's bidirectional charging system, a significant step in integrating electric vehicles (EVs) with home energy systems. GM Energy, a division under General Motors, showcases how the Silverado EV can power a house during a power outage using a 24-module, 215 KW battery pack. The system, which includes a power distribution box, AC charger, DC bidirectional unit, and a 9.6 kW inverter, is solar-compatible and represents an early but promising stage in vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. The script also covers the cost, future plans for a Gen 2 version, and the potential for dynamic power sharing with stationary battery storage and solar systems.

Takeaways

• 🚚 The video showcases General Motors' (GM) energy division unveiling their bidirectional charging system, which integrates electric vehicles (EVs) with home energy systems.
• 🔌 GM's bidirectional charging system allows the Silverado EV to power a 10,000 sqft house during a power outage, demonstrating the vehicle's energy capacity beyond propulsion.
• 🔋 The Silverado EV features a large 24-module, 215 KW battery pack that can be used for various power needs, including powering household appliances and electronics.
• ⚡ GM's energy system includes a power distribution box, an AC charger, a DC bidirectional unit, and a 9.6 kW inverter, which together enable the vehicle to supply power to the home.
• 🏡 The system is designed to provide backup power to homes during outages, with the capability to run critical loads and ensure home comfort even when the grid is down.
• 💡 The video highlights the importance of vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) connectivity, which are essential for the future of energy management and grid support.
• 🌞 GM is also introducing battery storage options compatible with solar power, allowing for a more holistic approach to home energy management and self-sufficiency.
• 🔍 The video discusses the technical aspects of the system, including the use of a CCS connection for DC power transfer from the vehicle to the home inverter.
• 💰 The cost of the GM energy system is highlighted, with the current price point being $7,300 before installation, aiming at energy enthusiasts and early adopters.
• 🔄 The script mentions future plans for cost reduction and technological advancements, including the potential for more efficient DC-to-DC charging systems.
• 📈 The interview with GM's Chief Revenue Officer discusses the company's vision for the future of EV integration with home energy systems and the importance of market formation and utility incentives.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the GM energy bidirectional charging system?

The GM energy bidirectional charging system is designed to allow electric vehicles (EVs) to not only draw power for charging but also to supply power to homes or the grid. In the context of the video, it is being used to power a house during a power outage.

Which company is highlighted as the largest EV charging manufacturer in the world in the video?

Star charge is mentioned as the largest EV charging manufacturer in the world in the video.

What is unique about the Silverado EV's battery pack?

The Silverado EV features a large 24-module, 215 KW battery pack which is a significant aspect of its energy capacity.

How long does it take for the Silverado EV to start charging after the power is connected?

The Silverado EV starts charging approximately 35 seconds after the power connection is made.

What is the role of the CCS connection in the GM bidirectional charging system?

The CCS connection is used to extract direct current (DC) energy from the vehicle's battery pack during a power outage, which is then converted to alternating current (AC) to power the home.

What is the maximum output of the inverter used in the GM bidirectional charging system?

The inverter used in the GM bidirectional charging system has a maximum output of 9.6 kilowatts (KW).

What is the cost of the GM energy bidirectional charging system?

The GM energy bidirectional charging system is listed at approximately $7,300 on the website before installation.

What is the future outlook for GM's energy solutions according to the video?

GM aims to reduce costs by at least 40% for future generations of their energy solutions and is focusing on interoperability with non-GM assets as well as dynamic power sharing when paired with stationary storage.

What is the significance of the ISO 15118 standard mentioned in the video?

ISO 15118 is a standard for bidirectional charging that will allow for interoperability between different vehicles and charging systems, which is important for the future of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration.

How does the GM energy bidirectional charging system handle a power outage?

During a power outage, the system automatically disconnects from the grid, and within 40 seconds, it starts to draw DC power from the EV to power the home through an inverter.

What is the potential future integration of GM's energy solutions with solar power?

The GM energy solutions are designed to be compatible with solar power, allowing for a more holistic and sustainable energy ecosystem where the EV can also charge from solar energy.

Outlines

00:00

🚚 Unveiling GM Energy's Bidirectional Charging System

The video begins with the hosts discussing the unveiling of GM's bidirectional charging system, which allows electric vehicles (EVs) like the Silverado EV to power homes. They mention the system's capability to charge the vehicle and provide backup power during outages. The hosts express excitement about the potential of GM's energy solutions and the integration of solar power with the EV ecosystem. They also discuss the presence of various GM EV models at the event and the impressive Silverado EV's 24-module, 215 KW battery pack.

05:00

🔌 Exploring the Technicalities and Costs of GM's Charging System

This paragraph delves into the technical aspects and costs associated with GM's bidirectional charging system. The hosts discuss the system's components, including the EVSE, CCS connection, and the 9.6 kW DC to AC inverter. They mention the system's ability to isolate from the grid during power outages and power a home using the EV's battery. The hosts also explore the costs, with the system priced at around $7,300 before installation, and discuss the benefits over traditional backup generators. They highlight the system's current limitation to power homes only during grid disconnections and not for peak energy rate shaving.

10:01

🏠 Touring a House Powered by Silverado EV

The hosts provide a tour of a house in Beverly Hills that is entirely powered by the Silverado EV. They discuss the system's capability to run the house for up to three days at full load, thanks to the EV's large battery pack. The hosts also comment on the aesthetics and features of the house, including its indoor bar, outdoor area, and the city views. They note that 60% of the house is connected to the system and that it runs silently, emphasizing the seamless integration of EV technology into residential energy solutions.

15:02

🔧 Discussion on the Future of GM Energy and EV Integration

In this section, the hosts discuss the future of GM Energy, focusing on the potential of vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. They touch on the importance of industry standards and the challenges of interoperability between different vehicle makes. The hosts also express their interest in understanding the technical details of the system, such as whether AC or DC is used for energy transfer and the implications for vehicle cost and complexity. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of utility coordination and the potential for future advancements in EV energy solutions.

20:05

🛠️ Breakdown of GM's Charging System Components and Pricing

The hosts break down the components of GM's charging system, including the power shift charger, which serves as the 'brains' of the system, and the various other parts that make up the total cost of $7,300. They discuss the high engineering, safety standards, and UL certification that contribute to the product's price. The hosts also mention the potential for future cost reduction and the possibility of integrating the system with other GM vehicles, not just the Silverado EV.

25:06

🔄 Insights into GM's Energy Strategy and Market Formation

This paragraph features an interview with a GM executive who provides insights into the company's energy strategy. They discuss the decision to use offboard inverters for reliability and the potential for future generations of products to include onboard inverters. The executive also talks about the importance of market formation, with utilities playing a key role in offering incentives for customers to adopt these technologies. They highlight the potential for EVs to be used as grid assets, either for cost savings or revenue generation through programs like time-of-use tariffs and demand response.

30:08

🔋 Introducing GM's Stationary Battery Storage Solutions

The hosts introduce GM's stationary battery storage solutions, which are stackable modules with capacities of 5kW and 7kW, up to a total of 35kW hours. They discuss the use of LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) chemistry for the batteries and the potential for future DC-to-DC decoupling systems that would allow for more efficient charging. The hosts express excitement about the potential of these energy solutions and the opportunity to cover their development in a future channel dedicated to energy topics.

🎥 Wrapping Up the Discussion on GM Energy Solutions

In the final paragraph, the hosts wrap up their discussion on GM's energy solutions. They acknowledge that while the technology is in its early stages and currently expensive, it represents the future of energy and transportation integration. They express their intention to follow the progress of GM's energy solutions and to potentially create content around the battery systems and software integration. The hosts thank the GM charging team for their work and end the video with a call to action for viewers to share their thoughts on the energy solutions discussed.

Keywords

💡Bidirectional Charging

Bidirectional charging refers to the ability of an electric vehicle (EV) to not only draw power from the grid for charging its battery but also to send power back to the grid or to other devices. In the video's context, it is highlighted as a feature of GM's energy division, where the Silverado EV can power a house during a power outage, demonstrating the vehicle's role as an energy source beyond transportation.

💡GM Energy

GM Energy is a division under General Motors that focuses on energy solutions beyond the automobile. The script discusses GM Energy's unveiling of a bidirectional charging system, which integrates with solar power and battery storage to provide a comprehensive energy management solution for homes. This division represents GM's expansion into the broader energy ecosystem.

💡EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment)

EVSE, or Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment, is the hardware used to charge electric vehicles. In the script, it is mentioned that the EVSE in GM's system is bidirectional, meaning it can both charge the vehicle and allow the vehicle to send power back to the home or grid. This is a key component of the energy solutions discussed in the video.

💡Microgrid Solutions

Microgrid solutions refer to small-scale power grids that can operate independently or in conjunction with the area's main grid. The video script mentions that Star Charge, the largest EV charging manufacturer, also provides microgrid solutions, indicating a move towards more localized and flexible energy systems that can include EVs as energy sources.

💡ULM (Ultium) Vehicles

ULM, or Ultium, is a reference to General Motors' electric vehicle platform. The script states that by 2026, every GM Ultium vehicle will have the hardware and software to support bidirectional charging. This signifies GM's commitment to a future where EVs are integral to the energy grid.

💡Power Outage

A power outage is a temporary loss of electric power in a certain area. The video script uses the scenario of a power outage to demonstrate the practical application of GM's bidirectional charging system, where the Silverado EV is used to power a house when the grid power is unavailable.

💡Inverter

An inverter is a device that converts direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC), which is the type of electricity used to power most homes and buildings. In the video, a 9.6 kW DC to AC inverter is mentioned as part of GM's energy solution, allowing the EV's power to be used to run household appliances during a power outage.

💡Solar Compatibility

Solar compatibility refers to the ability of a system or device to work in conjunction with solar power. The script mentions that GM's energy solution is solar compatible, meaning it can integrate with solar panels to form a more sustainable and self-sufficient energy system for the home.

💡Energy Storage

Energy storage involves the capture of energy produced at one time for use at a different time. In the video, GM's energy storage solutions are discussed, which include battery packs that can store energy from the EV or solar panels to be used when needed, such as during a power outage or to supply energy back to the grid.

💡Interoperability

Interoperability is the ability of different systems or components to work together. The script discusses the challenges and importance of interoperability in the context of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) communication standards, which will allow different makes of EVs to communicate and interact with the grid and each other effectively.

Highlights

Unveiling of GM's bidirectional charging system, which allows electric vehicles (EVs) to power homes.

Silverado EV's 24-module, 215 KW battery pack showcased, highlighting its capacity to power a 10,000 sq ft house.

Introduction of GM energy, a division under General Motors, focusing on energy solutions beyond the car.

Discussion on the potential of EVs to be beneficial to the grid and household energy needs.

Demonstration of the Silverado EV powering household appliances like TV screens and speakers.

Explanation of the exportable power concept from EVs, showcasing the vehicle as a portable power source.

Introduction of the bi-directional unit and EVSE, which allows the vehicle to charge at up to 80 amps AC.

GM's plan for all ULM vehicles to support bi-directionality by 2026.

Cost breakdown of the GM energy bidirectional charging system, starting at $7,300 before installation.

Comparison between GM's system and Tesla's Powerwall, discussing the potential for energy storage and integration.

Mention of the Darkstar battery's role in providing power and communication during a power outage.

Discussion on the future of GM energy, including the potential for dynamic power sharing and grid integration.

Interview with the Chief Revenue Officer of GM energy, discussing cost, future plans, and the significance of the technology.

Exploration of the trade-offs between onboard and offboard inverter systems for vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capabilities.

Plans for the second generation of GM's energy products, aiming for cost reduction and market formation.

Introduction of GM's battery storage system with LFP chemistry, stackable modules, and a control box.

Discussion on the importance of standardization and interoperability in the future of EV energy solutions.

Transcripts

connection so that's the beep to

indicate that the truck has started to

charge and so what we're going to do is

break the power right yep okay hell yeah

can't wait to see how long should it

take like 35 seconds okay homework okay

cool I just it's a rumor I've

heard really glad to have you here

[Applause]

um let's do

it so there's a power outage okay and

then the

[Applause]

house this video is brought to you by

star charge the largest EV charging

manufacturer in the world they are also

a provider of residential and Commercial

battery storage with micro grid

Solutions hello and welcome to another

out of speec reviews video and welcome

to a garage and welcome to the Silverado

EV rst this is the big one big 24 module

215 KW battery pack Jordan we love this

thing 24 modules 24 in

Wheels it's on 24s um we're here to talk

yes a little bit about this truck but

actually GM energy which is a division

under General Motors uh Jordan and I

happen to be in LA today and heard about

this event and I found that we were

actually invited in an email that I

never opened so we said perfect timing

we're coming over and it is the unveil

of the GM energy bidirectional charging

system also storage solar all the

integration so we all love Tesla's

integration right I mean I filmed that

video hopefully you guys watched it with

my friend Rob latera who had the model 3

the model y the power walls the

inverters the solar and it all worked

together as a total system and we were

like the ecosystem is crazy well GM must

have watched that video I'm just joking

that video just went up they have been

working on a similar thing and here we

actually have at this very moment in

time this Silverado EV powering this

10,000 sqt house at the top of Beverly

Hills with their system and I'm going to

walk you through the system I of course

want to show you the house because it's

unbelievably cool and we're going to

meet with some of the engineers as well

and talk about a whole bunch of energy

stuff so join me as we learn about the

bir directional GM Energy

Solutions I love when car compan

especially those that are building a

large number of electric vehicles are

focusing on the thing Beyond just the

consumer of electricity which is the car

and talking about how it can be a

beneficial part of your life or help the

Grid or other things because you have so

much energy capacity and well I think

one of the things that we've seen

electric vehicles do especially F-150

Lightning and Silverado is use onboard

power to use for certain things for

example this TV screen these speakers

are all running off this Silverado EV V

rst and so there's power cables coming

out of the front trunk they got a bunch

in the rear they actually have a charge

port um powered situation right over

here where this is a j1772 to a power

brick I showed this at the Silverado

launch and uh they also have the outlets

back there up to 30 amp output 240 volts

this one's at 80% state of charge and it

can run for hours and hours running this

system so that was sort of the first

step in exportable power from an

electric vehicle Beyond just using it

for propulsion and just being able to

use the energy that you paid for you go

to a charging station you pay I don't

know 3640 cents a kilowatt hour put it

in a battery pack it's so nice to be

able to use something like this as

basically a portable power brick that

you can plug other stuff into so we're

used to the exportable power on the

vehicles what is interesting in this

case and something we have not really

played around with ever on this channel

my friend Tom mogy actually has the Ford

bidirectional system installed at his

house and he did a fantastic overview of

the uh

installation but what we're talking

about here is that similar thing but

with GM so this is actually X portable

power DC out so this is a CCS connection

here actually so um I'll walk through

everyone how this works and you're able

to Now power your entire

home from your vehicle now GM says by

2026 every single GM ULM vehicle will

have the hardware and the software to

support this bir directionality that's

pretty cool not too far away and most of

them I believe will have them Jordan we

know Silverado EV rst will have them we

just spoke to an owner with a lyric he's

getting his put in he'll be the first

one maybe we can do a podcast with him

bunch of other ones too yeah all all

ultium vehicles and they said other

ultium non gum would potentially support

in the future but that so that would be

like prologue ZDX Etc okay so let's walk

through what we're actually seeing here

so this is your evse but also a bir

directional unit this is about $1,600

yep which is of course everything here

is quite a bit of money yeah uh and we

should talk about the benefit of doing

something like this versus just a backup

generator but this will charge the truck

at up to 80 amps AC you don't need 80

amps to run it though you can derate

this to whatever the maximum your

current allows for your home um because

of course a lot of panels in the house

can't handle just 100 amp dedicated

circuit to run 80 amps of charging so I

think most people are comfortable with

19.2 Kow 80 amp home charging honestly

with a 240 KW hour pack Jordan that

doesn't seem unreasonable yeah it's a

lot of battery to fill yeah okay but

what's different about this than a

normal evse is the CCS connection which

you're plugging in at home a CCS

connection and that is the DC pins are

actually is what taking is taking energy

directly out of the battery pack I we

should ask I'm curious if it's doing it

in Split pack or in series if it's high

voltage or low voltage would be

interesting we'll definitely talk about

that in the interviews and that comes

back into here which is then fed to the

inverter which is a 9.6 kwatt uh DC to

AC inverter and what's interesting is

it's only 9.6 Kow so I guess cost goes

up you have to right size it for your

home but I think that's pretty industry

standard but is 9.6 Kow enough to run

your house I think it's enough to run

mine except for when I'm charging a

vehicle yeah most houses yeah I mean I

charge a lot so it would be great to

charge another vehicle off of this in a

power outage event but I could just plug

it into this of

course so okay interesting so the way

that it works is let's say there's a

power event this is uh you know you

basically lose your grid connection um

this will isolate your grid connection

there's a a automatic disconnect switch

that happens in here the whole process

takes 40 seconds we'll show you all how

that works DC comes out of the truck it

can even wake the truck up from a dead

asleep situation so the truck can be you

know sitting for a week basically

completed at charging at 50% or 70% or

whatever you want to set it to 80% is

probably what most people will charge to

um it'll wake the truck up 40 seconds

later soon as the disconnect goes it

will start pulling DC out of the truck

into the in inverter and now into

basically your power distrib power

distribution box this is basically a sub

panel that you can hook up all the loads

that you want backed up now some houses

you will back up the entire house and

you'll basically have the entire fuse

panel in here some houses like this one

this is a quite a large house that might

actually pull more than 9.6 Kow by the

time you have cooking on AC on electric

heating on they've just put critical

loads on this one and also the garage

lights so that we can do this video for

you in light because the house is

completely disconnected from the grid

right now running off the Silverado

makes no noise at all really cool um and

so that's basically these three pieces

of equipment you have your power

distribution box your AC charger your DC

bidirectional and your 9 .6 Kow inverter

that is also solar compatible now my

understanding is Delta does a lot of

this stuff as the supplier GM is not

really confirming that but that's just

my understanding all of this including

the dark start battery which is really

important because of course if you lose

power you isolate the system from the

grid you need something to wake up your

evse to tell the truck to start sending

power back to wake up the inverter this

is like only I think they said eight wat

hours something like that yeah really

small amount of energy but it's just

enough to keep the communications boxes

running until you get the truck back

home or your car back home it doesn't

have to be a Silverado it could be an

equinox EV that could do this which is

really cool this whole system is

$7,300 on the website is my

understanding before

installation no joke that's a lot of

money yeah $7,500 but yeah plus

installation website 73 oh well they

they said 75 but on the website it's 73

uh $72.99 nice uh that's a lot of money

for power only during a power outage

because right now this system can only

work in this configuration when the grid

is completely

disconnected from the house so you can't

like start pulling power in from the

truck when electricity is expensive and

blend them all together and try and save

on the bill it's just when there's an

outage your truck has to be plugged in

and that will power the house it's a

pretty Edge case right now but where it

starts to make more sense to me is when

you start bringing in battery storage

Yep this is when we get into the

situation of a total ecosystem I don't

personally think this system makes sense

without battery storage I love the idea

of battery storage I like the idea of

being able to utilize the truck more

when the house is uh connected to the

grid still and you basically there's two

variants of these battery packs I'll

have to learn what they are I think 7

kilow hour bricks and 10 kwatt hour

bricks roughly plus or minus I think and

you can stack them up to about 35 KW

hours total

so um certainly not as much energy

capacity as Tesla allows with power wall

but I actually don't think you need that

much home battery capacity uh especially

if you have a vehicle with 240 Kow hours

what you need is enough that to hold

your house over when you run to the

store to grab milk or get I don't know

do whatever you have to do for a couple

hours in town come back and then you can

replenish this from the truck now we're

not totally sure how the integration

options of this and the vehicle will be

with the whole system um but I'm really

hoping this is actually launching at a

little bit later date this all launches

today and it's available to order and

they have fantastic truly fantastic

websites with lots of info uh this I'm

curious about how it will um you know

integration options but there's going to

be an app similar to the Tesla app we're

filming on my phone right Jordan yep uh

otherwise I would show you all but I'll

leave leave a link in the description to

how Tesla does all of this stuff what

I'd like to do is talk to one of the

folks in charge of this project just ask

some questions get their take on this

but before we do that Jordan should we

show them the house yeah running off the

Silverado this place is pretty cool okay

so they had we're here late uh but they

had a bunch of media here today and and

actually uh GM EV owners cool to talk to

a few of them uh and this is just a cool

little venue that they have so two

Silverados they have a Blazer and

Equinox over here just showcasing all

their e yeah some of the product

offerings of course and then you can

kind of take a look at the house this

way which is again running completely

off the over a EV so it's not just a

small shack they did say 60% of the

house is plugged in and they said it can

run for 3 days at full load but that's

because that's a 200 something Kow hour

battery pack yeah so I wonder if they

didn't put like all the AC on the truck

or something but yeah it's pretty loud

in here pretty chaotic but look at this

freaking this is fantastic it's insane

oh I didn't even notice the wine on the

wall That's did you try their food I

tried all of it oh my God it's fantastic

he can only say nice things about GM

now I haven't eaten anything oh the

center plastic the center plastic on

some of the GM stuff though really bad

okay so uh if we come around this way

you had mentioned I mean like just a

beautiful room and everything gorgeous

outside area we were out there earlier

uh you had mentioned this was not an

OLED TV yeah not an OLED TV so back to

the drwing board with that I think

renovate the whole house um you know

they have like an indoor bar here it's

just a really cool thing you'll see

other uh creators here like our friend

Emy Hall and Kyle field from clean

Technica and a bunch of others that

we've been able to hang out with and

there just beautiful views of actually

the entire city out this way and it's

been really cool coming here and this

entire place is running off the truck

right now we're completely disconnected

from the grid and the truck is just

sipping away at that giant battery pack

right so you what state of charge was it

at I think it was like 99 it was 100

when they plugged it in and it may have

just dipped a 99 like it was 100 for a

while so yeah it's a lot uh just a lot

of energy in that thing yeah holy smokes

so um what we should do is we should go

back out to the system now that you can

see truly how much power it's out I me

this is crazy they're cooking in here

like life is going on everything is

fully rocking they have a chef from some

like TV chef show that one uh TV season

or something like one of those Gordon R

okay anyway we're not here to review

food Jordan unlike you stealing that'll

be the another Channel yeah what next

you'll see is the equinox is the best EV

ever made from Jordan because he ate

GM's food

um so what we need to do is we need to

focus on the backup system and maybe

some of the future of GM energy Beyond

this because one thing that I really

appreciated uh listening into the

conversations hopefully you'll take a

listen on the outpec podcast is just how

holistic they're thinking about electric

vehicles grid connections all of these

things can happen over time with these

vehicles but it's very early days

there's also issues with

interoperability between other vehicles

in this system for example ISO 15118 D20

will have a lot of V to x v to h v to G

uh Communications in there but that's

not finalized basically no one has

agreed across the board on how the

vehicles should communicate with each

other also we're starting to see a

differentiation of DC back through an

inverter or AC back straight to the

power source for example Tesla

cybertruck does AC out and uses the

power conversion system the PCS um to

basically match the frequency of the

grid match the house and then charge

through the Gateway there

uh versus this which is basically using

an off-the-shelf available system

adapted for GM of course using DC out

and my gut feeling is AC out of the

vehicle might be better and less lossy

uh but adds to vehicle cost and

complexity with vehicle timelines it

sounds like GM really had to get stuff

to Market very quickly um but I also

think we're seeing a lot of automakers

still continue to go with this approach

of AC or DC so that's a question I

definitely want to ask we have a lot to

learn here um and and I just want to

leave a plug for the future out ofpc

energy Channel Jordan yeah uh and I do

wonder you know this is sold for

actually

$16.99 these can be sold extra like as a

separate thing and why is that like why

would you buy those and not this or is

that meant to be you can buy this and

then add these later yeah exactly so

it's meant to if you are planning about

doing the bidirectional at something in

the future and you still want an ad8 amp

charger you can buy this um but this I'm

curious I wonder if this will even

charge other vehicles like the Ford

system will charge other vehicles on AC

I've charged the our Lucid air on Tom's

Ford Pro station yep uh and that

actually comes with the truck at no

charge so this does not yeah almost

$1,700 and then yeah those things so all

this together is the 73 or five whatever

whatever it is yeah this whole one two

three is 7500 bucks you can subract well

the install is the the big question mark

here now GM is partnering with CIT which

we're familiar with CIT they're awesome

they sponsor our friend 's Channel

really like them supporting the

community um we've also maybe have some

projects coming up with them soon we'll

have to see should be kind of fun um GM

is basically saying there's a whole

configurator on the website you can

choose what you want to go for and then

they'll hook you up you can have any

installer install this but kit can do it

as well uh and then it's going to get

real pricey real quick I think even best

case scenario might be a lot of money

five grand minimum yeah that would be my

guess so roughly 12ish um on the install

maybe most was like 20 grand all in okay

yeah yeah yeah and then we're not even

getting into batteries yet so that's and

we're not getting into batteries and

then it's like you could just pull up a

Honda

generator or honestly you for a lot of

people you can just pull the power

straight off the truck for the plug so

you really have to be I think at this

moment in time to adopt something this

early a real EV Enthusiast which is

honestly this channel yeah and but

you're right to to really make that cost

more worth it it'd be really cool if you

could sip energy from the grid when it's

cheap and especially in Colorado and a

lot of states have time of use charging

and then then reuse that energy back to

the GD while you're still connected

you're not relying on an outage totally

agree it would make so much more sense

if you could just constantly you know oh

we're at Peak rates let's dump the truck

even into the GD super smart and

integrated yeah really but a lot

requires a lot of utility coordination

which is really tough and um anyway yeah

let's talk to some of the engineers on

this thing go through all the nerd stuff

and then we can end this video ready

let's do it

so there's a power outage okay the

Darkstar battery right now is providing

power and Communications to the inverter

and the Hub The Hub is locking out the

grid so that there's no power that comes

from the grid now it's communicating

through the power shift charger back to

the vehicle they're making sure they

have a a solid connection between the

two of them and that they've got a good

ground and the vehicle's now

communicating back to the power shift

saying I can give you

power and that power comes back through

that to the inverter and then back to

the hub and then to the

[Applause]

house all

right guys you joined me with aim whose

technical title is Chief Revenue officer

but you know more than almost any other

Chief Revenue officer I've met thanks so

much for joining us well thank you for

having me of course so pleasure okay we

since C is your title we have to ask the

cost of everything we mentioned to our

viewers it's about $7,300 on the website

yes um what determines that cost will

you have programs to help incentivize

them I went through the whole

configurator by the way it's awesome

your online portals are amazing and they

showed like all the tax incentives and

other stuff in my area happy that it was

really cool yeah so um I I'll do a quick

walk through right what what is what is

really driving the car structure how

we're actually you know packaging the

product so the the par shift charger is

about $16.99 I think that's what's

listed on the website and then the

balance of the system is what makes up

right the

7300 the the pow shift charger you know

is essentially the the brains right that

connects with the vehicle and is driving

where bulk of our our engineering

resources have gone in terms of

instituting the product where I do see

the you know where the next generation

of the products headed is we're looking

at at least 40% bomb cost reduction

material cost cost reduction and um

we're pretty confident that we can get

it there um and for two reasons one is

consolidating the footprint how do we

actually reduce this from down from like

you know four boxes to two Okay that's

that's going to be pretty significant

and then when you take into account

insulation costs on top of that right so

the total cost of ownership will

actually be driven down further as well

but given that this is the first version

of the product that we're launching you

know the Gen one and there's been

considerable engineering that has gone

into it including the safety uh

standards that we've had to follow

between the UL certification for the

devices um as well as the connectivity

with the vehicle itself right so there's

an onboard inverter on the vehicle the

vehicle has to coordinate with the the

par shift charger and there's been

significant amount of testing that has

gone into the product so it's highly

engineed highly safe high quality

product and um you know the uh you know

that's really the value that we're

driving for the customer for that price

point so you're doing DC back out of the

vehicle can you actually just nerd

question before that this obviously can

operate in Split pack or in series uh

what configuration are the 20 and 24

modules in when charging are they at the

higher voltage configuration they a high

voltage configuration okay so this is a

th000 volt capable then that's correct

um what is the future is it DC out of

the vehicle is it AC out of the vehicle

we've seen different automakers take

different approaches yes um you know

it's do you stuff the cost in every

vehicle or do you stuff the cost on the

in you know in this inverter at the home

side what's what's your impression

what's that tradeoff yeah yeah look I

think there's two schools of thoughts

around that I I think you you nailed it

when you said look it comes down to is

where do you actually uh have that U

offboard power capability right do you

put it on the vehicle itself or you use

offboard equipment so is it onboard

versus

offboard what our our belief is that in

order for us to truly unlock the vehicle

to home and then vehicle to grid

capability the utilities have to be able

to rely on these assets and utilities

have the highest confidence in inverters

today right inverter technology has been

entirely standardized you know there's a

1547 standard out there and we believe

that having that capability where they

can visually test validate inspect these

assets is going to be the initial unlock

that's necessary okay uh in order for

you know for us to be able to get these

assets classified and certified as grid

reliable and grid safety you're going to

have to go through each utility in every

which all I don't know 1,800 of them

whatever there are out yeah I mean

there's about 3,000 utilities you count

all the IUS and the co-ops and the munis

but the and and the intention isn't

really to go have each utility certify

it's typically you know like in

California Souther California Edison

will take the lead in New York you know

KET would take the lead and typically

the rest of the firms will Fast follow

the intention is really getting the

consumer comfortable as well so given

that it is such a complex technology and

also the fact that it is nent the best

way to unlock that capability build

confidence is our belief is that it's

through the offboard uh architecture

right now right because it gets the

instulation at work comfortable if you

move all of that technology into the

vehicle now if you think about after

servicing and sales including the

integration with the grid a lot of that

now you rely on the service technicians

who have to service the vehicles so from

an after sales perspective and the total

cost of ownership of the product um you

know it's it's a it's a matter of

tradeoffs right so for us we believe

that the The Building Trades or the

electricians that are responsible for

wiring for the panels you know if they

actually get comfortable with this

equipment adopt and understand it

they're far more equipped in order to do

this than to have um vehicle technicians

get qualified and you know take that you

know they take that complexity on it it

makes sense but it also seems a little

bit redundant into the future I

understand why today this makes sense

because you also have inverters in the

truck that are running your offboard

Power Systems and everything it'd be

really cool to see that all tied in

maybe for Next Generation or the double

next generation come together I I think

what what's going to the true unlock

will happen is if the vehicle onboard

inverter is able to deliver power at the

same power quality requirements as the

standard offboard inverter and that

drives up the price point today for the

technology that we use because it

doesn't have to satisfy those power

quality standards for the grid sure uh

and you're absolutely right it removes

the redundancy now you don't need two

sets of inverters right so it actually

is more cost efficient solution you know

arguably it's also more efficient

solution

um but it comes down to is again um the

tradeoff for where should that product

cost reside right it do a drive in the

price point of the vehicle or it's a

discretionary piece of equipment that

the customers choose to invest in uh

whereas you know should the bomb for the

vehicle bear that because every customer

then has to pay for that you know for

that onboard inverter for that standard

totally makes sense I I love the

approach of like inverters are a known

quantity right now and to get any

because right now this is a pretty

choked system this is pretty day one

there can be a lot of software unlocking

for it like for example right now we can

only power through the system like it is

right now when we're completely

disconnected from the grid yes uh and in

the future especially when you pair it

with your battery systems which I want

to ask you about this in a little bit

you will be able to do some Dynamic

power sharing absolutely I mean the

system becomes more valuable when you

have stationary storage bundle with it

totally becomes far more flexible it

becomes far more interoperable and also

gives you the flexibility to be able to

draw power from stationary storage

versus the EV and then when you couple

it with the solar system you know then

you have the full Independence right

because you can charge any of your

storage resources whether it's the EV or

the stationary storage and then you can

move power around all these assets right

between your home and your vehicle the

stationary storage system so that's the

future that we believe you know is going

to truly create that value for the

customer that they're willing to invest

in in this technology the other piece I

would also argue is I I and it's not

really an argument more of a tradeoff as

you think about getting people

comfortable with the technology the

inverters are pretty standard right the

solar installers are very very

comfortable with this supports solar

already out of the box right I'm sorry

this one will support solar yes okay

this one will support solar um and so so

the technology is you know fully

standardized the the the mid which is

you know integrates with a panel right

that technology is actually moving on a

very very different scurve where smart

panels are coming out a lot of what we

see the next generation is going to be

like your panel has this integrated

capability totally um so we see the

future there so as the market evolves

you know there's going to be an

evolution there as well and then more

importantly I think as the iso standard

gets adopted for bir directional

charging right which will be 1511 8-20

that's correct in that scenario the

powers shift charger which is our

product then becomes interoperable with

non GM assets right right so as you now

think through each of these technology

components and you look at their S curve

of evolution each of them are on their

own track but eventually we see

emergence happening um where we believe

that um you know offboard capability is

going to actually get there a lot faster

than onboard capability because of the

convergence of technology and the level

investment that's going in for different

reasons in different product categories

um so that's just another trade-off in

terms of why we invested and why we

decided that you know an offb DC system

right now is the best entry point for

our customers yeah it makes a lot of

sense I mean I think um right now the

way I look at it is uh this is for the

energy Enthusiast this is for someone

who buys like for me honestly Silverado

EV I want to have the coolest Tech I

want to follow the software upgrades I

want to add the Battery Systems um but

maybe in the future Gen 2 is better what

do you think how far away are we from a

gen two you've mentioned it a couple

times yeah yeah so I think look the

product cycle it took us about two years

to launch this we expect that we're

going to compress that by you know at

least 50% so in less than a year we'll

be able to move fast and launch the

second generation of the product um I

would say that you know it it seems like

look there's a lot of complexity to take

on and this is really targeted towards

energy enthusiasts but once you have you

know between how we've actually tailored

the whole experience between how you buy

the product how you get it installed how

you configure it how it works with the

app on the vehicle it said and forget

it's an investment you make once and it

may seem overwhelming but we're taking

all the complexity right so we actually

believe that there's a market we can

unlock where um customers when they're

going in and buying the EVS can make

this investment which is future proofed

as well so if you want to you know add

more solar you want to integrate with

your storage system you know it'll all

be capable um and you know a lot of

software you know is technology that

resides on these systems so I have a

different perspective you know yes you

know maybe um energy Geeks like us are

going to be the first ones to buy them

but fast following I do see an

opportunity where you know we're taking

on and removing all the complexity for

the customer we see this as a long-term

investment

as for second generation of the product

um what our core focus is again drive

down driving down the product cost and

driving down the total cost of ownership

in the context of installation cost when

you factor those two in uh we believe

that you know that's going to again be

another major driver for adoption and

then I think the third piece is really

coming down to is Market formation which

is true now which is true for future

generation of the products as well where

the True Value happens when you say an

EV is a grid asset

is where the customer can either save

money or make money simply right and in

order for that to happen the grid and

the utilities have to start forming the

market have the right Market signals

whether it's time ofuse tariffs whether

it's demand response programs whether

it's battery incentives and we expect

that you know as you know the our

utilties are very bullish on this system

right that we expect that there's going

to be a level of incentives that they'd

be willing to offer up yeah um as they

do on the unirational portfolio um

because they would make the correlation

that not only is it driving

electrification with EVS which is what

they want and which is a lot of what the

regulatory mandates are but also now

they can use that asset as a flexible

grid grid resource totally by you know

um investing in in this additional

equipment taing into your battery when

they need it for Peak so we are close on

time but I just want to ask you one last

question which is this is a bit future

perhaps we should do a whole video on

this when it comes but you'll have two

variants of the battery pack um up to 35

k hours usable yes and what energy

chemistry is this is this lfp lfp hell

yeah that's awesome we love that for for

stationary so what are the two variants

um so it's five um I think it's 17 12 K

kilowatt hours and it is 11 kilowatt

hours if I'm not mistaken and five and

seven they're stackable um and so you

can get get them in 5kw or 7kw and these

modules and then you can stack them up

as high as 35 but they're actually two

different towers and then have you know

one standard controller that sits on the

top which is this okay so this is the

control box for it and there's no DC to

DC link so that you could charge the

vehicle off of these directly not yet

not yet okay CU that would be slightly

more efficient than converting back to

AC and then using the onboard charger to

go DC but we're talking small numbers

maybe round trip 85% efficient something

like that yeah I mean it's a small small

amount of loss yeah um we are looking at

you know DC to DC decouple Systems I

personally am pretty bullish on it yeah

you I like Thea I like I like them a lot

I think you know they're actually much

easier to install and configure and also

uh much more efficient um but and we are

actually investing you know in looking

at that product category but the first

launch product um will not have that

right sure makes sense but this is all

pretty cool I mean it's early days for

stuff like this it makes so much sense

I've been talking about you know

integrating our vehicles with our

electrical grid for so long we're

starting a whole new channel around this

it's like something fascinated with so

hopefully we'll be able to cover your

progress as you guys move forwards come

out with new things talk about software

integration I always see you at the

interop conferences your team's hardcore

making sure that that all works together

so um yeah shout out to the GM charging

team they're actually awesome really

really cool we appreciate all the love

and uh you know we feel actually very

very strongly and passionately about the

mission IR on you're at the ti of this

spear educating all the people around

right all the opportunities with EVs and

energies so kudos to you for

and talking to the world and exting

people about our products and services

and you know we're right behind you yeah

hell yeah well let's do a video on the

battery stuff when this comes out when

we can get more into it maybe we can

come over do a test house or something

like that and uh showcase this I want to

show the app the software is the most

important piece um I have a friend with

a I'll just a Tesla whole system and

it's amazing the app all the data so I

hope you guys Benchmark that and give us

everything we want to see our better

experience oh cool I love it that's

awesome very cool thanks for joining

really appreciate it thank you very much

thanks all right well we spend a lot of

time in this garage together we're the

last people here yeah I know they're

trying to get us out of here uh I don't

even know what time it is 9:30 oh it's

not that late no okay night is young I

would guess I just flew to the West

Coast so it feels a lot

later um essentially this type of stuff

is the future this feels pretty

rudimentary pretty early pretty

expensive I know people will install we

met people here are going to install it

and it's going to be really cool to

follow the progress but uh yeah so we're

getting kicked out right now there we're

getting yelled at but anyway thank you

guys so much for watching another AOS

speec reviews video what do you think

about the Energy Solutions let me know

uh I would love to uh explore this a

little bit more energy Channel coming

probably by the end of the year early

next year something like that and uh

damn pretty sick thanks so much for

watching see you later byebye