It is a list of direct current (DC) electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment which is capable of exporting power from the vehicle to the electric grid, and has been certified to UL 1741. Currently any EV charger with UL 1741 certification is eligible to be connected to the grid (for utilities under the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission as well as most other California utilities), although a utility may still reject interconnection requests for other reasons (such as safety concerns). While the list collects and displays other information, such as Energy Star certification, it is not a requirement for listing nor for a utility to consider an interconnection request. While it is anticipated most manufacturers will list their eligible equipment, utilities should consider any certified equipment for interconnection even if it does not appear on the list.

Only the equipment manufacturer can submit for listing after they have obtained UL 1741 certification.

The CEC will list any equipment submitted by its manufacturer with proof of UL 1741 certification. We do not conduct our own testing or other verification of listed equipment.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) maintains a list of Nationally-Recognized Testing Laboratories, only some of which are authorized to certify for UL 1741. (On the linked page, click on a laboratory on the list to see its list of Recognized Testing Standards.) These are the only laboratories that can certify equipment.

No. It is hoped the list will streamline connection requests by assisting utilities in finding equipment that meets certification. However, a utility should not reject an interconnection request for eligible equipment just because the equipment is not listed.

Clear standards exist for stationary equipment that takes DC power out of a vehicle and converts it to AC to export over a permanent connection to the grid. If a car exports AC power, it could, in principle connect directly to the grid through a portal of some kind. However, utilities and regulators have not yet worked out how to guarantee the safety and stability of the grid if an unknown vehicle connects to a portal and attempts to export AC power. It is anticipated that within the next few years standards will be approved for cars that export AC power, at which point it is expected that the V2G Equipment List will be updated to list such devices.

Yes and no. The Lightning has an onboard DC-to-AC converter to convert and transport DC power from the batteries to ordinary AC plugs on the truck where users can plug in equipment such as power tools. However, the home backup system sold with the Lightning uses DC power exported from the vehicle’s charging connector. Then, external (stationary) equipment converts the power from DC to AC.

V2G stands for vehicle-to-grid and refers to processes that export power from a vehicle to the electric grid. V2G allows EVs, including buses and trucks whose batteries store substantial energy, to stabilize the grid by providing power when it is needed most such as when solar and wind power are unavailable. The vehicle owner will be compensated for providing that power. Currently, V2G is in its infancy, but as it matures it can play a substantial role in electric grid reliability and holding down the cost of transforming the energy system to meet climate goals. For more information, see the CEC’ Vehicle-Grid Integration page.

These are additional certification requirements contained in Supplement A (SA) and Supplement B (SB) of the UL 1741 standard and relate to “smart” inverters. An inverter is equipment that converts DC power (such as that stored in vehicle batteries) to AC, and a rectifier is equipment that converts AC to AC power. All DC V2G chargers contain an inverter and a rectifier. In the late 2010s, regulators, utilities, and other stakeholders in California developed rules for smart inverters, which overcame tendencies of older inverters to destabilize the local grid. Supplement A was a stopgap measure added to UL 1741 to certify smart inverters while another standards body (the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, IEEE) was developing rules for testing and certifying smart inverters. When IEEE’s process was finished, Supplement B was added to UL 1741 and incorporated the IEEE procedures by reference.

Yes (mostly). In California, inverters newly connected to the grid must be certified to either SA or SB. After March 2023, they generally must be certified to SB. However, exceptions are made for inverters that were purchased in earlier years, and also for resources that are connected to the grid for the sole purpose of participating in the Emergency Load Reduction Program. But even these inverters must be certified at minimum to UL 1741 (without supplements).

The Reliability, Renewable Energy and Decarbonization Incentives Division’s Solar Equipment Lists program is designed to support stationary renewable generation and associated equipment. Development of the V2GEL leveraged the Fuels and Transportation Division’s knowledge of California’s EV charging and deployment goals in order to support bidirectional charging infrastructure, interconnection, and market development.