California Airport Pioneers V2G Technology: Nissan Leafs Power Critical Infrastructure Through Bidirectional Charging

A groundbreaking vehicle-to-grid project at California’s Redwood Coast Airport is demonstrating how electric vehicles can serve as more than just transportation—they’re becoming mobile power plants that strengthen grid resilience and reduce costs.

PG&E, Nissan, Fermata Energy, and the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt have successfully integrated two previous-generation Nissan Leaf electric vehicles into the airport’s existing microgrid infrastructure in McKinleyville, California, reports ARS Technica. The 2020 and 2021 Leaf models, equipped with CHAdeMO quick charge ports, connect to four bidirectional FE-20 charging stations that can both charge the vehicles and draw power from their batteries.

How the V2G System Works

The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid, which has been operating since 2021, already features a 2.2 MW solar array and 8.9 MWh of battery storage, along with a 300 kW net-metered solar system. The two-vehicle Nissan Leaf fleet adds another layer of flexibility and capacity to this sophisticated energy system.

When county staff aren’t using the Leafs for work activities, the vehicles plug into Fermata Energy’s FE-20 bidirectional chargers. These specialized units can charge at 20 kW and discharge at the same rate, transforming the EVs into distributed energy resources. The system uses Fermata’s intelligent V2X platform to optimize when to charge, discharge, or hold battery capacity based on grid conditions and electricity prices.

“Integrating bidirectional chargers and EVs at the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid is an innovative solution that will expand the capacity of the site, extending the capability for powering the airport during local grid outages and providing another clean energy resource for ensuring statewide grid stability,” said Mike Delaney, Vice President of Utility Partnerships and Innovation at PG&E.

Real-World Performance and Revenue Generation

The vehicles serve multiple purposes beyond basic transportation. During normal operations, they participate in California’s Emergency Load Reduction Program, generating revenue for Humboldt County by responding to grid stress events. When electricity prices are high during peak demand periods, the system can draw power from the parked EVs’ batteries, helping to reduce the county’s utility bills through strategic energy management.

When the microgrid operates in “island mode”—disconnected from the main grid during outages—the Nissan Leafs respond to changes in grid frequency, either injecting power when needed or absorbing excess solar energy depending on their battery levels. This automatic frequency response is crucial for maintaining stable power delivery to the airport and adjacent U.S. Coast Guard Air Station.

The Coast Guard facility oversees search and rescue operations for 250 miles of rural coastline, from the Mendocino-Sonoma county line to the California-Oregon border. Since roads into Humboldt County are frequently closed by fires and landslides, maintaining airport operations during emergencies is literally a matter of life and death.

Battle-Tested Technology

The Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid has already proven its worth under extreme conditions. On December 20, 2022, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake knocked out power to more than 70,000 electric customers in Humboldt County. The microgrid automatically disconnected from the grid and provided power to the airport and Coast Guard station for nearly 15 hours—despite facing worst-case conditions.

The earthquake struck at the winter solstice after the batteries had discharged during evening peak demand, leaving them at their lowest charge level. Weather conditions were overcast and rainy, limiting solar generation. Despite these challenges, the system performed flawlessly, allowing the Coast Guard to conduct rescue operations while most of the county remained in the dark.

Since then, the microgrid has been called into service multiple times during winter storm outages, sometimes running for less than 30 minutes and other times operating for eight hours or more. The addition of the bidirectional EV charging capability further enhances this proven resilience.

Industry Leadership in V2G Technology

The FE-20 bidirectional chargers represent the latest generation of Fermata Energy’s technology. The predecessor FE-15 model helped reduce electricity bills by more than $9,450 over four years at Nissan’s Americas Headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee—averaging nearly $2,000 in annual savings. The enhanced FE-20 is expected to deliver even better performance.

“At Fermata Energy, we see a real opportunity to transform electric vehicles from simple modes of transportation into critical energy assets,” said Hamza Lemsaddek, Chief Operating Officer of Fermata Energy. “By integrating our intelligent V2X platform and bidirectional chargers, we are delivering measurable cost savings, valuable grid services and enhanced local energy resilience.”

Nissan has been a pioneer in bidirectional charging capability. The Leaf became the first fully bidirectional-capable electric vehicle launched in the U.S. when it debuted with CHAdeMO V2G capability in 2013. All Nissan Leaf vehicles from model year 2013 and later are compatible with bidirectional charging, though the infrastructure to support V2G has been slow to develop.

There are currently over 30 proven V2G installations across the United States using Fermata Energy chargers and Nissan Leaf vehicles, aimed at helping fleets and dealerships optimize energy usage and reduce costs.

Technical Innovation and Future Implications

The Redwood Coast Airport project is jointly operated by PG&E and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Humboldt County’s local Community Choice Aggregator. The collaboration required developing new operating agreements and tariff structures that have informed PG&E’s Community Microgrid Enablement Program—a framework that could serve as a blueprint for similar projects across California and beyond.

“We are proud to have led the technical integration of this important pilot project that advances local resiliency and deep decarbonization and can play an important role in the community microgrids that are being developed across California’s rural north coast and beyond,” said David Carter, principal engineer at the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt.

The project demonstrates that V2G technology is not just a concept for the future—it’s operational today and providing tangible benefits. The system shows how older EV models can contribute to grid stability and energy resilience, extending their utility beyond personal transportation.

For Humboldt County, the technology offers multiple advantages: reduced electricity costs, backup power during emergencies, participation in grid services that generate revenue, and enhanced community resilience. The county staff can use the vehicles normally for work activities, then plug them in to serve as energy assets when parked.

The CHAdeMO Advantage and Limitation

The project relies on CHAdeMO, the Japanese DC fast charging standard that includes native V2G capability in its protocol specification. While CHAdeMO has become less common as CCS (Combined Charging System) has gained market dominance in North America and Europe, it remains the only charging standard with widespread bidirectional capability deployed in production vehicles.

This presents both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, hundreds of thousands of Nissan Leafs on the road today (model year 2013 and later) could theoretically participate in V2G programs with the right infrastructure. On the other hand, most new EVs are moving to CCS connectors, which will require updated standards and vehicle hardware to enable widespread bidirectional charging.

The Nissan Leaf, despite being an older design that has been surpassed by newer EVs in range and features, continues to hold unique value precisely because of its bidirectional charging capability. As battery costs continue to fall and EV adoption accelerates, the ability to use parked vehicles as distributed energy storage could become increasingly valuable for grid management.

Economic and Environmental Benefits

The V2G integration at Redwood Coast Airport offers a glimpse into a possible future where millions of electric vehicles contribute to grid stability and renewable energy integration. During the day, excess solar power can charge vehicle batteries. In the evening, when solar generation drops but electricity demand peaks, those same batteries can discharge to meet demand—reducing reliance on fossil fuel “peaker” plants that utilities typically fire up during high-demand periods.

This time-shifting of renewable energy helps address one of the key challenges of solar power: its generation doesn’t always align with when people need electricity. Battery storage solves this problem, and parked EVs represent an enormous potential storage resource. With an average EV battery capacity of 60-100 kWh, even a small fleet can provide meaningful energy storage capacity.

The economic model is compelling. Humboldt County receives both transportation vehicles and energy storage capacity from the same assets. During grid stress events, they earn revenue by participating in demand response programs. They save money through strategic charging and discharging based on time-of-use electricity rates. And they gain energy resilience that has already proven lifesaving during natural disasters.

Regulatory and Infrastructure Challenges

Despite the proven success at Redwood Coast Airport, V2G faces significant barriers to widespread adoption. Utility interconnection processes can be complicated and time-consuming. Building codes and local regulations often weren’t written with bidirectional charging in mind. Insurance and liability questions remain partially unresolved.

Most significantly, automakers have been slow to embrace bidirectional charging beyond Nissan. Ford’s F-150 Lightning offers vehicle-to-home capability but requires proprietary equipment. GM has announced plans for V2G capability but hasn’t delivered production systems yet. Tesla, despite early promises, has yet to enable bidirectional charging in any of its vehicles.

The charging infrastructure also needs to expand dramatically. While unidirectional DC fast chargers are becoming more common, bidirectional chargers remain rare and expensive. Standardization efforts are underway, but the industry hasn’t yet coalesced around a single approach for CCS-based V2G systems.

California’s regulatory environment, however, provides some advantages. The state has been progressive in creating programs and tariff structures that allow V2G participation. The California Public Utilities Commission has explored various mechanisms to compensate EV owners for providing grid services. And programs like the Emergency Load Reduction Program create revenue opportunities for V2G participants.

What This Means for the Future

The Redwood Coast Airport project serves as a proof of concept that could inform much larger deployments. If the model can work for two Nissan Leafs at a rural airport, it could potentially scale to fleet vehicles at businesses, school buses, delivery vans, or even residential EVs.

Imagine a future where your parked EV at home helps stabilize the local grid, earns you a few dollars per month, and serves as backup power during outages—all while remaining fully charged and ready to drive whenever you need it. That’s the vision V2G proponents have been describing for years, and projects like Redwood Coast Airport are making it real.

For California, which has aggressive renewable energy and EV adoption targets, V2G technology could prove essential for grid management. As more solar and wind power comes online, and as millions of EVs start charging regularly, the grid will need flexible resources that can balance supply and demand. Parked EVs could fill that role, turning a potential grid challenge into a solution.

The technology is proven. The economics are increasingly favorable. The regulatory frameworks are developing. The missing piece is widespread deployment—and that’s exactly what projects like Redwood Coast Airport are helping to enable.

EVXL’s Take

The Redwood Coast Airport V2G project represents exactly the kind of practical innovation that could accelerate the transition to sustainable transportation and energy systems. While we’ve covered Nissan’s involvement in V2G initiatives before—including when they joined ChargeScape as an equal investor alongside BMW, Ford, and Honda in October 2024—seeing the technology deployed at critical infrastructure like an airport demonstrates its real-world viability.

The timing of this project is particularly noteworthy given the challenges facing EV adoption and grid infrastructure. With concerns about grid capacity to handle widespread EV charging, bidirectional technology flips the script: EVs become part of the solution rather than just another demand on the system. The fact that this is working with older Nissan Leaf models rather than cutting-edge new vehicles also sends an important message about the value proposition of existing EV fleets.

What’s especially compelling about the Redwood Coast implementation is its performance during the December 2022 earthquake. When 70,000 customers lost power, this system kept the airport and Coast Guard station operational under worst-case conditions—low battery charge, minimal solar generation, and winter weather. That’s not a lab demonstration or theoretical model; it’s proven resilience when lives were on the line.

The broader implications for EVXL readers are significant. As automakers continue to introduce more EVs with bidirectional capability, and as companies like ChargeScape build out the platform infrastructure to manage V2G systems, we’re likely to see much wider deployment of this technology. In fact, ChargeScape is already enabling EV owners to earn money while they sleep through smart charging programs—with some drivers potentially earning up to $3,000 per year through bidirectional power-sharing.

Fleet operators, in particular, should be paying close attention—school buses, delivery vehicles, and other fleets that sit parked for significant portions of the day could generate additional revenue and provide community benefits through V2G participation.

The CHAdeMO limitation is worth noting. As the industry moves toward CCS connectors, the bidirectional capabilities that make Nissan Leafs valuable for V2G will need to be replicated in the new standard. The good news is that work is underway, with multiple automakers committing to bidirectional charging in future models. But for now, those older Leafs—often dismissed as outdated compared to newer EVs with longer range—offer a capability that most modern EVs can’t match.

California’s regulatory leadership continues to be crucial. The state’s willingness to develop new tariff structures, operating agreements, and compensation mechanisms for V2G participants creates a model that other jurisdictions can follow. PG&E’s Community Microgrid Enablement Program, informed by projects like this one, could standardize the process for integrating V2G into utility operations.

For the EV industry, the message is clear: vehicles are becoming more than just transportation. They’re mobile energy storage units that can provide grid services, backup power, and revenue opportunities. This adds another dimension to the total cost of ownership calculations that potential EV buyers consider. A vehicle that can reduce your electricity bills, power your home during outages, and earn money when parked offers value beyond its driving capabilities.

We’ll be watching closely as ChargeScape and similar platforms work to scale this technology beyond pilot projects. The Redwood Coast Airport demonstration proves the technology works; now the challenge is making it accessible to millions of EV owners rather than just specialized fleet applications. If successful, V2G could become one of those infrastructure innovations that seems obvious in retrospect—of course our parked vehicles should be helping to stabilize the grid and integrate renewable energy. The only question is how quickly we can make that vision a reality.