Leveraging Vehicle-to-Home Technology for Residential Power Resilience during Climate–Induced Outages: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach

The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-induced natural disasters, such as hurricanes, ice storms, and heat waves, underscore the urgent need to enhance power system resilience. Electric vehicles (EVs), equipped with bidirectional charging technologies, present a promising solution by serving as mobile energy storage units that can support critical residential loads during prolonged outages. This study employs an agent-based model (ABM) to explore how EV adoption, charging infrastructure reliability, and bidirectional charging technologies can mitigate the impact of power disruptions. Using the power outages from Tropical Storm Isaias in Connecticut as a case study, the analysis focuses on three distinct communities: (1) coastal Fairfield, (2) urban Hartford, and (3) rural Litchfield. The findings reveal critical spatial dependencies between EV adoption rates, the availability of functional charging infrastructure, and the effectiveness of bidirectional technologies in reducing outage durations and enhancing community resilience. A one-size-fits-all approach to EV adoption and infrastructure development may be ineffective in ensuring reliability across diverse regions. Instead, tailored strategies that address the specific needs of urban and rural areas, combined with proactive grid modernization efforts, are essential to support the rapid growth of electric mobility. This study provides a practical methodological framework for strategic energy planning, offering actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and energy providers to support resilient and sustainable energy systems.