Keralam Plans 100-EV Pilot To Test Vehicle-To-Grid Technology With IIT Bombay

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 12 (KNN) Electric vehicle (EV) batteries could help power homes and supply electricity to the grid, with IIT Bombay testing the technology and Keralam planning a pilot project involving more than 100 EVs. 

IIT Bombay’s Grid Integration Lab conducted experiments over three years on the use of EV batteries for household electricity supply. 

In one trial, a car was charged using solar power during the day and supplied electricity to a professor’s home at night, reducing the household’s electricity bill by around 30 per cent.

The technology, known as Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), allows EV batteries to supply power to homes, while Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) enables electricity to be fed back into the grid.

Keralam Plans Pilot Project

The Keralam State Electricity Board signed a memorandum of understanding with IIT Bombay in July 2025 to explore V2G technology. 

Under the proposed pilot, more than 100 EVs would be connected to the system to enable electricity stored in their batteries to be used in homes.

IIT Bombay is working on the technical modifications required to enable selected EVs to support V2G operations, as most vehicles in India are not currently configured for the technology due to the absence of a suitable regulatory framework.

Limited Impact On Battery Health

IIT Bombay Grid Integration Lab professor Zakir Hussain Rather said the trials found no significant impact on battery life from supplying electricity to homes.

Battery health is measured through the State of Health (SoH) indicator, with a new battery typically rated at 100 per cent. According to the findings cited by the research team, battery SoH declined by around 1.5 per cent over two years.

The technology could also help address the challenge of storing solar power. EVs could be charged using surplus solar electricity during the day and supply power to homes at night, while potentially feeding excess electricity into the grid.

EV Sales Rise In India

The development comes amid rising EV adoption in India. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), the country recorded sales of 2,98,448 electric vehicles in August 2026, up 52.9 per cent from August 2025.

EVs accounted for 12.3 per cent of total vehicle sales during the month, compared with 9.5 per cent a year earlier.

Electric commercial vehicle sales rose from 1,631 units in August 2025 to 4,702 units in August 2026, nearly three times the previous year's level.

Lower running costs, expanding charging infrastructure and the availability of new models are among the factors supporting EV adoption.

(KNN Bureau)