Dunsky Convenes Canadian VGI Alliance to Scale Vehicle-Grid Integration Across Canada

MONTRÉAL, Oct 20, 2026: Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors is proud to announce the launch of the Canadian Vehicle-Grid Integration Alliance (the “Alliance”), a national initiative advancing the integration of electric vehicles with the electricity grid.

The Alliance brings together utilities, automakers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to align on the standards, investment pathways and deployment practices needed to scale VGI across Canada. Through a collaborative and coordinated national approach, the Alliance aims to develop the shared frameworks, practical tools, and cross-sector coordination needed to move vehicle-grid integration from isolated pilots toward scalable, investable utility offerings that can bring benefits to consumers, the electricity grid and industry.

Initial partners and strategic collaborators of the Alliance include BC Hydro, Manitoba Hydro, Alectra, the Government of Canada, the Government of Nova Scotia, Electric Mobility Canada and the Vehicle-Grid-Integration Council. The Alliance is also supported by industry stakeholders including General Motors Canada.

Beginning this fall, Alliance partners will take part in structured working sessions and cross-sector discussions to help shape priorities and advance key areas of need: 1) market alignment, standards and interoperability, 2) investment and regulatory pathways to scale, and 3) coordinated deployment and customer experience. These sessions will connect organizations across the electricity and automotive sectors and help ensure that Alliance outputs respond to real planning, regulatory and implementation needs.

Also this fall, the Alliance will launch an online presence anchored around a VGI Knowledge Centre. The Knowledge Centre is being developed as part of a project led by Electric Mobility Canada to support shared learning and make practical information and resources more accessible. Informed by broad cross-sector stakeholder input, the VGI Knowledge Centre provides a foundation of shared knowledge and identifies priority barriers and gaps to scaling VGI in Canada.

Together, this work will support a shared national VGI vision, clearer approaches to assessing system value, practical guidance for program and regulatory development, and coordinated frameworks for scalable pilots. The Alliance will also draw on lessons from international VGI markets while ensuring that its tools and recommendations respond to the Canadian context.

For more information about the Canadian VGI Alliance or to get involved, please contact: info@dunsky.com  

Quotes

Alectra

“Alectra is committed to demonstrating practical, customer-focused innovations that can deliver measurable value to Ontario’s electricity system. Through our V2X pilot, we are exploring how bidirectional charging, including electric school buses, can support reliability, manage peak demand, and create value for customers. The Alliance provides an important opportunity to turn lessons from innovation into scalable, market-based approaches and identify cost-effective pathways based on the value delivered to the grid, rather than any single technology.”

– Geri Yin, VP, GRE&T Centre, Alectra

General Motors Canada

“GM Canada supports the Alliance’s focus on common standards, interoperability, and consistent requirements across Canadian jurisdictions. By bringing automakers, utilities, regulators, and policymakers together, this national collaboration can help create the conditions for managed and bidirectional charging to become a practical, accessible resource for customers and the grid.”

– Doug Yates, Director Environment and Energy, General Motors Canada

Manitoba Hydro

“Manitoba’s energy needs are evolving. As Manitoba Hydro renews and modernizes its electricity system, VGI offers an opportunity to better understand how electric vehicles can help manage demand, support reliability, and deliver value to customers while supporting affordability. The Alliance provides an important forum to share lessons across jurisdictions and develop practical approaches that can be adapted to the needs of different regions, communities, and energy systems.”

– Alex Chiang, Vice President Customer Solutions & Experience, Manitoba Hydro

Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors

“Canada is preparing to double its electricity grid, and we’ll need every tool in the toolkit to do it affordably. Electric vehicles are batteries on wheels, and those batteries can be leveraged to reduce peak and strengthen reliability. Canada has seen promising pilots. The next step is market-scale deployment, and that will take utilities, automakers, regulators and governments working together.

We’re honoured to convene the Canadian VGI Alliance and grateful for the trust our partners have placed in us to help build a more predictable, investable VGI market in Canada.

– Philippe Dunsky, Founder & President, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors

Electric Mobility Canada

“This Alliance will help accelerate transportation electrification in Canada by building knowledge, strengthening collaboration, and supporting practical implementation. EMC is proud to advance the education and awareness needed to help utilities, regulators, automakers and policymakers unlock the broader grid and affordability benefits of managed and bidirectional charging.”

– Daniel Breton, President and CEO, EMC

Vehicle-Grid Integration Council

“Through our work advancing vehicle-grid integration across the United States, VGIC has seen firsthand that moving from promising pilots to scalable programs requires sustained collaboration across sectors and jurisdictions. We are excited to share those lessons through the Canadian VGI Alliance and work with Dunsky and partners across Canada to address common barriers and develop coordinated approaches suited to the Canadian market and regulatory context.“

– Zach Woogen, Executive Director, Vehicle-Grid Integration Council

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About Dunsky

Founded in 2004, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors works with governments, utilities, corporations and others in their efforts to accelerate and scale the transition to clean, affordable and reliable energy systems. Our seasoned team of 75+ professionals has deep expertise across Buildings, Mobility, Industry, and Energy Systems, and supports leading clean energy initiatives across North America. 

As a unique, hybrid firm – half engineering, half management consulting – we create value for clients in two distinct ways: by providing rigorous, data-driven analysis (what can be), and ambitious yet practical strategy support (how to make it happen). As a mission-driven B-Corp, Dunsky is deeply committed to getting it right – for consumers, the economy and our shared climate.