Automaker-Utility Collaboration Can Accelerate Home Energy Transition and BEV Adoption
New findings from Escalent reveal opportunity for automakers and energy utilities to capitalize on market demand by partnering to sell home energy solutions
LIVONIA, Mich., Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As electricity costs climb and power reliability wanes, more consumers are exploring home energy solutions. New research from Escalent suggests that owning a battery electric vehicle (BEV) amplifies that interest, positioning automakers to play a bigger role in the home energy market. The catch: most consumers don’t know car brands offer these solutions, highlighting an opportunity for automakers to partner with utilities to close the gap.
This is according to Escalent’s 2025 Home Energy Solutions DeepDive, a new report from EVForward®—the largest, most comprehensive study of the next generation of BEV buyers. The report explores the evolving home energy solutions market, addressing critical questions regarding consumers’ interest, preferred purchase channels and cost expectations, and identifies opportunities for automakers to play a role in the adoption process.
“In a consumer’s mind, vehicles are naturally associated with automakers and dealerships while home energy is associated with utility providers,” said Nikki Stern, an Automotive & Mobility industry senior insights manager at Escalent. “However, many utilities are promoting BEVs while automakers are unveiling new home energy solutions. Yet, many consumers don’t realize that their primary vehicle brand may offer home energy solutions.”
Outside of a home charger, fewer than 11% of new-car buyers indicated they would prefer to purchase home energy technologies from their primary vehicle brand. Instead, most buyers preferred to purchase home energy solutions from a third-party specialized retailer or installer, or from their utility.
However, when asked to indicate how much they trust each entity to manage the production and use of energy in their home, new-car buyers reported an almost identical level of trust between their primary vehicle brand (67%) and utility (65%). In addition, a considerable portion (43%) of new-car buyers noted they would be interested in buying electricity from their primary vehicle brand.
EV Intenders—new-car buyers who are more than 15 times more likely to purchase a BEV than an average new-car buyer, according to Escalent’s research—in particular, expressed the greatest interest in purchasing home energy solutions, noting their interest would only grow if they purchased a BEV. These findings build a strong case for automakers to forge partnerships with utility companies and offer an option to bundle these technologies with a BEV purchase.
“Automakers are deepening their involvement in home energy as BEV technology and the market continue to develop. Although these technologies—like rooftop solar, home battery backup and vehicle-to-grid—are compelling to many customers, automakers struggle to gain mindshare among consumers,” said K.C. Boyce, a vice president in the Automotive & Mobility and Energy industry practices at Escalent. “Recognizing that the utility is a natural place for customers to look for home energy solutions and that the utility can take advantage of these technologies to better manage their grid, it’s imperative for automakers offering home energy solutions to engage with utilities as a channel partner for their offerings.”
To learn more about Escalent’s EVForward research, visit escalent.co.
About the EVForward® 2025 Home Energy Solutions DeepDive
This EVForward® DeepDive was conducted among a national sample of 1,068 respondents—with 112 EV Owner, 268 EV Intender, 305 EV Open and 383 EV Resistant respondents as identified by Escalent’s algorithm—from April 24 to May 7, 2025. These respondents are a subset of the EVForward database, a global sample of more than 50,000 new-vehicle buyers age 18 to 80, weighted by age, gender, race and location to match the demographics of the new-vehicle buyer population and by vehicle segment to match current vehicle sales. The sample for this research comes from an opt-in online panel. As such, any reported margins of error or significance tests are estimated and rely on the same statistical assumptions as data collected from a random probability sample. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.
About Escalent
Escalent is an award-winning data analytics and advisory firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, we accelerate growth by creating a seamless flow between primary, secondary, syndicated, and internal business data, providing consulting and advisory services from insights through implementation. We are 1,600 team members strong, following the acquisition of C Space and Hall & Partners in April 2023. Escalent is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, with locations across the US and in Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, UAE and the UK. Visit escalent.co to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.
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Escalent Senior Insights Manager Automotive and Mobility Nikki Stern
Nikki Stern is a senior insights manager on the Automotive & Mobility team with Escalent.
Escalent Automaker-Utility Collaboration Can Accelerate Home Energy Transition and BEV Adoption
New findings from Escalent reveal opportunity for automakers and energy utilities to capitalize on market demand by partnering to sell home energy solutions
Escalent VP of Automotive & Mobility and Energy KC Boyce
K.C. Boyce is a vice president in Escalent’s Automotive & Mobility and Energy industry practices.
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