There are now more than 6.5 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads that utilities want as flexible grid tools, and the race between automakers to own that platform just shifted in a single month

Every evening, millions of Americans plug in their electric vehicles and walk away without a second thought. Two major automakers just moved in the same calendar month to lock in platform deals that could decide who controls the largest battery reserve in America. Residential EV charging can draw more power than any other single household load, including heating, cooling, lighting and appliances. Two major automakers, one shared platform, multiple utilities, all in the same month. And for the automakers now racing to lock in platform agreements, the winner of that enrollment battle may matter as much as the vehicles themselves.