V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) Revenue Calculator
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) lets a plugged-in EV export stored energy back to the grid when it is most valuable -- turning a parked car into a grid asset. V2G uses the same core economics as grid-scale battery arbitrage: charge when electricity is cheap or abundant, discharge when it is valuable, and pocket the spread. This calculator takes the usable battery capacity you are comfortable exporting per session, the V2G export price your program pays, how many days a year you participate, and an estimated battery degradation cost per kWh cycled, then reports annual energy exported, gross V2G revenue, the battery-wear cost to subtract, and your net annual V2G revenue. For the dedicated, purpose-built version of the same tradeoff, see our Battery Arbitrage Revenue Calculator and our Frequency Regulation Revenue Calculator.
The amount of battery capacity you're comfortable exporting per session while keeping enough charge for your own driving needs.
Published/reported V2G rates vary widely by program -- from roughly $0.20/kWh in modest programs to $1.00+/kWh in high-value peak markets like parts of California and Massachusetts.
100 days is roughly 2 sessions per week -- adjust based on your program's typical event frequency.
Typical estimated battery wear cost is $0.05-0.10 per kWh cycled. Calendar aging (time-based wear) remains the dominant factor in battery degradation, with V2G cycling adding a comparatively modest increase.
usable battery capacity exported per session × participation days per year
annual energy exported × V2G export price
annual energy exported × battery degradation cost
Positive net revenue after accounting for battery wear
Results update live as you type. For planning and field-check estimates — always verify against applicable standards and equipment ratings.
How we calculate this →An EV battery plugged into a V2G program is functionally the same asset as a small home battery -- the same charge/discharge economics, the same degradation tradeoff, just parked in a driveway instead of a utility yard. At 20 kWh per session and 100 sessions a year, a single EV can net around $850/year after accounting for battery wear -- real money for an asset that would otherwise sit idle most of the day. Heavier fleet vehicles with bigger batteries and more predictable parking schedules can earn several times that.
How V2G revenue is calculated
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) lets a plugged-in electric vehicle export stored energy back to the grid when it is most valuable, earning revenue from the spread between cheap charging and valuable discharge. Four quantities tie the calculation together.
Annual Energy Exported (kWh/year) = Usable Battery Capacity Exported per Session (kWh) × Participation Days per Year. At 20 kWh/session and 100 days/year, that is 2,000 kWh/year. Gross Annual V2G Revenue ($) = Annual Energy Exported (kWh) × V2G Export Price ($/kWh); at $0.50/kWh, that is $1,000/year.
Annual Battery Degradation Cost ($) = Annual Energy Exported (kWh) × Battery Degradation Cost ($/kWh) — 2,000 × $0.075 = $150/year, the estimated wear cost of cycling that energy through the battery. Net Annual V2G Revenue ($) = Gross Annual V2G Revenue − Annual Battery Degradation Cost — $1,000 − $150 = $850/year.
Two notes on the model. First, the degradation cost is a planning estimate: real-world battery wear depends on depth of discharge, temperature, charge rate, and chemistry, and research suggests V2G cycling adds only a modest increase (roughly 9-14% over 10 years in some studies) on top of calendar aging, which remains the dominant degradation factor regardless of V2G use. Second, this calculator models energy-export revenue only and excludes any capacity, frequency-regulation, or ancillary-service payments a program may also offer, which can add meaningfully to total earnings. Data sources: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) V2G pilot program reports; utility V2G program documentation (Eaton, Nuvve, Fermata, others); battery degradation research from MIT, NREL, and vehicle manufacturers; published V2G rate schedules from California ISO, ISO-NE, and regional utilities.