Photo: GM
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and GM launching its Ultium Home shows that Tesla Powerwall was a brilliant idea. GM's announcement follows a similar move by Stellantis, as the energy market for EV charging is getting crowded.
Tesla monopolized public charging thanks to the ubiquity of the Supercharger stations. With the wide adoption of the NACS plug, Tesla's dominant position will only get stronger. How Detroit Three felt about this was made clear by Ford's Jim Farley, who signed the NACS and Supercharger deal and days later mocked Tesla and claimed he was "opportunistic" when signing the agreement. It's easy to tell that bowing to Tesla's terms made him angry, and other industry managers likely feel the same.
Although Stellantis has not yet signed a similar deal, it was the first to announce new home and public charging services. The Free2move Charge Home services are the most interesting here because it allows Stellantis to remain in control instead of ceding it to a third-party supplier. Think of an offering combining a wall charger, energy-storage batteries, and energy generation via solar into a 360-degree solution for EV owners. It's what Tesla does with the Powerwall, Solar, and Tesla Energy.
General Motors was quick to follow on this, announcing its own offering. Ultium Home promises Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) bi-directional charging capabilities, stationary storage, and energy management solutions bundled together under its GM Energy arm. Three bundles are available to choose from, each addressing specific needs.
The Ultium V2H Bundle is designed for customers who own a compatible GM electric vehicle and want V2H functionality. The bundle includes GM's PowerShift Charger and Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit. The former offers up to 19.2 kW AC charging to a compatible GM EV, while the latter includes an inverter, a home hub, and a black start battery. The kit safely disconnects the home from the grid and can provide up to 9.6 kW of discharge power when needed.
The Ultium Home Energy System adds stationary storage to the mix, which GM calls "PowerBank." The PowerBank stationary batteries are similar to Tesla's Powerwall and will be available in 5 kW/10.6 kWh and 7 kW/17.7 kWh variants. The PowerBanks can also be ordered as part of the Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle, which doesn't require an electric vehicle. In this case, it consists of the storage battery, the inverter, and a home hub. Solar integration can be added to any of the three bundles, although GM relies on third-party service providers such as SunPower to install the solar panels.
Each Ultium Home product can be managed remotely via GM Energy Cloud. There's no word yet about pricing and availability. As GM has had battery cell supply issues that kept it from ramping up Ultium EV production, we expect the PowerBank storage batteries to be the hardest to come by. This will affect the Ultium Home Energy System and the Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle. Since Ford already offers a bi-directional charging solution with the Ford Charge Station Pro, all three major American carmakers are now invested in home charging.
Although Stellantis has not yet signed a similar deal, it was the first to announce new home and public charging services. The Free2move Charge Home services are the most interesting here because it allows Stellantis to remain in control instead of ceding it to a third-party supplier. Think of an offering combining a wall charger, energy-storage batteries, and energy generation via solar into a 360-degree solution for EV owners. It's what Tesla does with the Powerwall, Solar, and Tesla Energy.
General Motors was quick to follow on this, announcing its own offering. Ultium Home promises Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) bi-directional charging capabilities, stationary storage, and energy management solutions bundled together under its GM Energy arm. Three bundles are available to choose from, each addressing specific needs.
The Ultium V2H Bundle is designed for customers who own a compatible GM electric vehicle and want V2H functionality. The bundle includes GM's PowerShift Charger and Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit. The former offers up to 19.2 kW AC charging to a compatible GM EV, while the latter includes an inverter, a home hub, and a black start battery. The kit safely disconnects the home from the grid and can provide up to 9.6 kW of discharge power when needed.
The Ultium Home Energy System adds stationary storage to the mix, which GM calls "PowerBank." The PowerBank stationary batteries are similar to Tesla's Powerwall and will be available in 5 kW/10.6 kWh and 7 kW/17.7 kWh variants. The PowerBanks can also be ordered as part of the Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle, which doesn't require an electric vehicle. In this case, it consists of the storage battery, the inverter, and a home hub. Solar integration can be added to any of the three bundles, although GM relies on third-party service providers such as SunPower to install the solar panels.
Each Ultium Home product can be managed remotely via GM Energy Cloud. There's no word yet about pricing and availability. As GM has had battery cell supply issues that kept it from ramping up Ultium EV production, we expect the PowerBank storage batteries to be the hardest to come by. This will affect the Ultium Home Energy System and the Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle. Since Ford already offers a bi-directional charging solution with the Ford Charge Station Pro, all three major American carmakers are now invested in home charging.
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