February 3, 2026
In our 2026 predictions, V2G News forecast that five states are likely to break out of the pilot phase and begin scaling vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and bidirectional charging in a durable, programmatic way. Connecticut was high on that list, not because it has the most electric vehicles or the largest utilities, but because it has quietly assembled something far more valuable: a regulatory model that treats innovation as a pathway to scale, not a detour.
This article launches a new State Profile Series focused on where bidirectional charging and V2G are most likely to move beyond demonstrations and into real markets. Connecticut is our first stop because it offers a clear signal to technology providers, automakers, utilities, and investors alike: this is a state that knows how to experiment, and, more importantly, how to integrate what it learns.
Like the University of Connecticut’s Huskies, Connecticut’s V2G strategy is disciplined, methodical, and built for the long game. The state has funded early pilots through a purpose-built regulatory sandbox, studied how bidirectional EVs interact with the grid, and then taken the critical next step, directing a formal process to integrate V2G into existing utility programs. That combination is still rare in the U.S. But it’s exactly what scaling looks like.
A Regulatory Sandbox with a Purpose
At the center of Connecticut’s approach is the Innovative Energy Solutions (IES) Program, administered by Current Energy Group under the oversight of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). Launched to enable testing of new technologies and business models that don’t fit neatly into traditional utility programs, the IES Program is explicitly designed as a learning platform, not a permanent home. The program is 18 months long and follows the principle of “fail fast”. This accelerated, fast-paced schedule forces innovative companies and utilities to focus on execution and measurable results that deliver tangible benefits to utilities and customers.
That distinction matters.
IES projects are selected because they test something novel, face real regulatory or operational barriers, and produce data that can inform future decisions. They are time-limited, milestone-based, and evaluated against clear performance metrics. In other words, the program is structured to answer the question that regulators and utilities eventually have to ask: Should this be scaled, and if so, how?
For bidirectional charging and V2G, that structure has proven especially valuable. Rather than trying to shoehorn EVs into legacy storage or demand response frameworks before the technology was ready, Connecticut used IES to let the technology prove itself first.
Three Pilots, One Strategy: Learning Before Scale
One of the most telling features of Connecticut’s V2G strategy is its decision to treat fleet, residential, and heavy-duty municipal vehicles as fundamentally different use cases, each deserving its own pilot, data set, and regulatory pathway. Rather than forcing a single program model across diverse applications, PURA has allowed the IES Program to explore these pathways in parallel, generating targeted learnings that can later inform more integrated, scalable approaches.
School Buses: Grid-Ready Fleets
Through the IES Program, GridEdge Networks is leading a project focused on integrating an electric school bus fleet with the grid to enable V2G capabilities. School buses are a natural early fit for V2G: they have predictable schedules, long dwell times, and large batteries that sit idle during peak grid hours.
The GridEdge project goes beyond basic charging optimization. It is designed to demonstrate how a fleet-based V2G platform can interact directly with utility systems, manage charging and discharging without disrupting transportation needs, and provide measurable grid value. Importantly, the project is structured to surface the operational, interconnection, communications, and data challenges utilities will face as V2G-enabled fleets scale statewide, including lessons learned around standards, telemetry, and coordination between fleet operators and distribution utilities
Residential V2G: From Backup Power to Grid Services
In parallel, Bidirectional Energy is leading Connecticut’s first residential V2G pilot, aggregating bidirectional chargers installed in customer homes. The project focuses on light-duty EVs, using bidirectional EVSE to allow participating households to provide grid support during demand response events while also realizing private benefits such as backup power, time-of-use optimization, and bill savings.
Participants receive substantial upfront support to offset equipment and installation costs, along with recurring compensation tied to grid participation. While intentionally limited in scale, the pilot is rich in learning. It is testing not just hardware performance, but also customer acquisition, interconnection processes, coordination with utility dispatch systems, and consumer-facing software tools, laying the groundwork for what a future residential V2G program could look like if brought to scale
Electric Refuse Trucks: Heavy-Duty V2G in a Municipal Context
A third IES pilot, led by Roundtrip EV in partnership with the City of Stamford, extends Connecticut’s V2G exploration into the heavy-duty municipal vehicle sector. This project centers on electric refuse trucks, assets with large batteries, centralized depot charging, and highly structured operating schedules.
The refuse truck pilot is notable for testing V2G in a context that closely aligns with municipal operations and public works fleets. While the project has faced real-world challenges, ranging from grant constraints to OEM readiness for V2G, the pilot is intentionally designed to surface these barriers early. In doing so, it helps regulators and utilities better understand how procurement decisions, vehicle standards, and interconnection requirements can either enable or constrain V2G deployment in heavy-duty applications
Learning Separately—So the System Can Scale Together
Taken together, these three pilots reflect a deliberate regulatory strategy: learn separately, then integrate intelligently. School buses, homes, and refuse trucks each present different technical, operational, and regulatory realities. By allowing each pathway to develop its own evidence base, Connecticut is positioning itself to move from pilots to programs with a clearer understanding of where standardization makes sense, and where tailored approaches will remain essential.
The PURA Decision That Changed the Trajectory
What elevates Connecticut from “pilot-friendly” to “scale-ready” is not the pilots themselves; it is what came next.
In a decision issued as part of the annual review of the state’s Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) program, PURA explicitly directed the creation of a Bidirectional EV Working Group, to be convened by the Connecticut Green Bank in coordination with the electric utilities, and structured to include industry participants and other key stakeholders. The charge of the Working Group is clear: examine how vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and broader vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies should be incorporated into existing programs.
In doing so, the Authority made two critical moves.
First, it acknowledged that bidirectional EVs are not an edge case or a niche pilot technology, but an emerging class of grid assets that warrants dedicated policy and programmatic attention. Second, it made clear that the objective of this process is not to design another round of pilots, but to inform program integration within established frameworks.
As PURA noted in its order, bidirectional EVs raise distinct technical, operational, and customer-facing considerations that must be addressed deliberately before broad deployment. Rather than forcing EVs into program structures designed for stationary storage, the Authority directed stakeholders to assess where alignment exists, where modifications may be required, and how different market segments, such as fleets and residential customers, should be treated independently.
From Experimentation to Integration
Connecticut’s approach follows a clear and replicable pattern. First, it tests emerging technologies in a controlled regulatory sandbox. Then, it studies how those technologies interact with existing programs, tariffs, and grid operations. Finally, it uses that evidence to develop durable programs capable of operating at scale. This is how technologies move from novelty to infrastructure.
Too often, V2G pilots prove technical feasibility but leave regulators, utilities, and market participants with no clear pathway forward. Connecticut has largely avoided that trap by designing its pilots with the endgame in mind and, critically, by pairing experimentation with a formal regulatory process to absorb and act on the results.
That design choice matters. For technology providers and investors, it reduces regulatory uncertainty and clarifies the conditions under which markets may form. For utilities, it creates a structured forum to evaluate operational risk, system value, and program fit. And for customers, it increases the likelihood that early participation translates into durable opportunities rather than stranded demonstrations.
Connecticut may not be the largest EV market in the country, nor does it have the most aggressive electrification targets. But it is sending one of the clearest signals: vehicle-to-grid will not live forever in pilot land here. By pairing the Innovative Energy Solutions program with a PURA-directed working group focused explicitly on integration, the state has built a bridge between innovation and scale—one that many jurisdictions are still missing.
For automakers, utilities, and solution providers deciding where to enable and invest in bidirectional capability, that signal carries real weight. For charger manufacturers deciding where to certify products, and for software providers looking to build interoperable platforms, Connecticut is signaling readiness, not hype, but homework.
The Huskies’ Advantage
Like a championship program, Connecticut’s V2G strategy is not flashy. It is disciplined. It builds fundamentals. And it plans for the postseason.
As other states look to accelerate bidirectional charging and V2G, Connecticut offers a compelling model: experiment with intention, learn systematically, and then integrate decisively. That is how new grid technologies scale.
The Huskies are warming up, and the grid is paying attention.
