is one of the coolest features to come from the EV revolution. After all, electric cars have some of the largest batteries a consumer is likely to own — why should they be limited to only powering a couple motors and an infotainment screen? Why not let that giant mobile power brick charge , , or even ?

General Motors’ engineers appear to have asked that question, and come up with no suitable reason not to let the company’s EVs send power out to other devices. The company , by 2026, every vehicle built on its Ultium EV platform will feature bidirectional charging.

Of course, like anything done by a company, the decision sounds neither purely altruistic nor purely for the sake of adding neat features. The 2026 date is suspiciously close to — the state is actively considering a bill to mandate bidirectional charging in EVs beginning in 2027. Whether the bill passes or not, GM will slip neatly under the deadline.

But just because a feature comes about under threat of mandate doesn’t mean it’s bad. Bidirectional charging is objectively good, especially considering America’s . Texas may have no interested in making any changes to its power grid, but outage-inducing storms would likely be if every house had a backup battery sitting in the garage.

Bidirectional charging can be anything from a neat gimmick to a lifesaving bandage that covers fatal flaws in our country’s infrastructure, but GM’s plan to implement it across its electrified lineup is a net benefit. Worst case scenario, it’s a feature that goes unused by buyers. In the best case, though, it could save someone’s very life.