General Motors is pitching a model in which its growing EV fleet functions as a distributed utility, using vehicle-to-grid capabilities and a unified charging platform to help balance power supply amid extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and surging AI-driven demand. At GM Empower in San Francisco on Tuesday, GM Energy vice president Wade Sheffer described how firmware updates can convert existing vehicle-to-home hardware into full vehicle-to-grid assets. GM said it can already support bidirectional charging across more than 250,000 GM EVs in the U.S., and that it is piloting vehicle-to-grid in Michigan with DTE Energy at employee homes. GM also outlined a 2030 vision with Pacific Gas & Electric, projecting thousands of vehicles contributing storage capacity to meet increasing peak loads. The pitch arrives as grid reliability groups warn that U.S. electricity demand is outpacing new capacity, with data centers cited as a key contributor. A parallel critique from Tesla cofounder JB Straubel underscored the urgency, arguing the grid “can’t handle it” without behind-the-meter and virtual power solutions.