Nov 26, 2025
Nov 19, 2025
How Vessel-to-Grid Tech Could Transform Homes, Marinas, and Energy Networks
- Scott Way
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 31 minutes ago
A series of tests highlighting the capability of electric vehicles to power homes is having immediate crossover into the marine world.
Two companies - Puget Sound Energy and ChargeScape - recently ran a series of tests in Washington state to determine the capability for electric vehicles to transfer power into homes using electric vehicles. Using what they call a V2H (vehicle-to-home) system, the tests proved that energy could safety be transferred from vehicle to home, thus giving electric car owners the means to protect their home during an outage and even transmit excess power back into the grid. The test was designed to showcase a new avenue for electric vehicles (or perhaps boats) to make use of their power and to highlight new solutions to modern energy demands.
The tests involved a Ford F 150 Lightning and a Kia EV9, with other major manufacturers like BMW and Honda also supporting the tests. The power conversion was done using technology from ChargeScape, a company that specializes in vehicle-to-grid concepts. Both PSE and ChargeScape designed the test to show consumers how a universal plug-in system between electric grids and electric cars can give vehicle owners additional value for their purchase, as well as additional capability beyond using the vehicle only for driving. The test also opens the door to power transference between individuals and the grid, where homes and cars can contribute available power to the grid rather than simply drawing from it. ChargeScape already has established relationships with major automakers including Ford, BMW, Honda, Stellantis, Tesla, and Nissan, along with charging infrastructure providers.
“This partnership with ChargeScape positions PSE at the forefront of energy innovation in the Pacific Northwest,” said John Mannetti, PSE Director of Customer Energy Innovation, in a press release. “By turning electric vehicles into distributed energy resources, we’re not just providing customers with backup power – we’re creating a more resilient and flexible grid that can better serve our entire community.”
“We want more people to understand the benefits of owning an electric vehicle, which extends far beyond the fact that they are fun to drive. PSE is helping us do just that,” said David McCreadie, Director of EV Grid Energy Services at Ford. “By embracing this technology now, PSE is not only gaining critical insights to benefit their own grid operations, but more importantly, they are paving the way to enable EV customers with opportunities to realize significant electricity bill savings and enhanced reliability through this game-changing technology.”
The concept of two-way power transfer has been in development in the marine industry for years, albeit on a smaller and quieter scale. Since the inception of electric boats, manufacturers have been forced to explore new ways to make power accessible to the vessel. The hurdle of limited infrastructure and consumer skepticism has been difficult to overcome.
The first vessel-to-grid (V2G) happened in 2024 when Bluegrid, ABCO, and Evoy Motors collaborated on a successful transfer from a small commercial boat into the public electrical grid. Leif Stavøstrand, CEO of Evoy, said at the time: "Today’s announcement is a world-first for the electric boating industry and a key milestone in the maritime sector’s transition to electric... Their battery capacity can also deliver crucial support to the grid, amplifying the potential to utilize renewable energy and further reduce emissions on a macro-scale.”
Another example of the concept's success comes courtesy of Canada's Taiga Motors, who unveiled bi-directional charging on their Orca WX3 electric PWC in 2025. The bidirectional charging capability of the 120 kW battery pack turns the PWC into a mobile energy source that can discharge power back out, rather than only in. According to the company, the Orca WX3 can support a home during an outage, recharge equipment at the dock, power hotel loads to onboard yachts, or even bring power to an off-grid cabin. The WX3 was also designed to be equipped with automotive-grade fast charging using CCS1 in North America and CCS2 in Europe. This feature allows owners to plug directly into the same widespread fast-charging networks used by electric cars. The lack of universal standards for chargers, both marine and automotive, has been another challenge for stakeholders to overcome.
Aqua SuperPower, who's ownership group purchased Taiga Motors in 2024, has also demonstrated the possibilities of bi-directional charging and universal charging. In a demonstration with the University of Plymouth in 2025, the company debuted Virtual Bunkering for Electric Vessels, or VBEV, which not only charges an electric boat but also discharges surplus energy back into the grid when the boat is not in use. The transfer reduces overall energy costs, optimizes the vessel's battery, and can even generate income for the boat owner by selling the surplus energy back to the grid. The two-way transfer even offsets high loads during peak hours (i.e., if the boat isn't in use during peak grid times it can discharge back out before re-charging during off-peak times).
Adam Marshall, Chief Technology Officer of Aqua SuperPower, said “The technology, which mirrors systems used in the automotive sector, is now adapted for the maritime industry via VBEV, positioning the marine sector at the forefront of green innovation.”
As it stands, only some electric cars have capability to discharge power back into the grid, but they require specific hardware and enrollment in a program to access it. Tesla, for example, has the Powershare 'home energy pack' program to provide the capability, but it is an additional purchase beyond the vehicle itself.
Electric boats are at a similar crossroads.
In 2022, Aqua SuperPower had an agreement with Ontario and Quebec to install the beginnings of needed infrastructure on major waterways for electric boat charging, but the program didn't expand to scale. Around the same time, entrepreneurial companies like Powerdock developed standalone solar-charging docks to bypass the infrastructure issue, but the tech didn't take off. Self-sustaining boats, like the world's first solar-powered tender, which charges and operates without any grid help, are in production but aren't realistic for even small to midsize powerboats. Major cities like Miami made an agreement to run electric water taxis to ease urban congestion, but taxpayers found the cost to benefit ratio out of whack. San Diego deployed its first commercial electric tug boat, but the charging demands were problematic. These attempts highlight how the lack of value, or capability, beyond the vessel makes the value proposition hard to sell.
This is where a universal standard for charging hardware and infrastructure may help electrification clear its biggest hurdle. Aqua SuperPower recently helped form a trans-Atlantic partnership between Canada and the UK to develop the needed vessel-to-grid (V2G) infrastructure needed for commercial boats, followed by recreational boats. The latter would be inclined to follow, provided the former can deliver.
If electric cars, and by extension electric boats, can plug into the grid with bi-directional charging, the benefits may help more boaters take the proverbial plunge. As Washington state citizens and car owners have learned, having secure power during an outage, not to mention the possibility of off-setting electricity costs by supplying the grid, is an enticing perk. Imagine if a gas-powered boat could sell its fuel back to the marina while docked for a small profit, but the marina would top up the tank before the boat departs again. The marina would get needed fuel during peak hours if it runs low, and the boat is always in ready condition for the owner.
Maybe the 'floating power plant' is the next phase in marine electrification.
You can watch a primer on the vessel-to-grid (V2G) concept, as well as the trans-Atlantic partnership between Canada and the UK, in the video below:
