SAN FRANCISCO — "Smart grid" technology has just taken a major step forward with the announcement by California Pacific Gas & Electric Company that it plans to develop battery-charging systems for electric vehicles that could sell stored power back to the grid.

The charging system is not likely to roll out before 2012 because the auto industry is not yet building fleets of electric vehicles and because electric vehicles will require a larger battery. The utility showed off a Toyota Prius equipped with a lithium-ion battery that gives the vehicle more battery capacity to run entirely on electricity. The Prius sent power through a meter to light some lamps and a space heater.

Such a vehicle-to-grid system would likely be installed at parking lots and garages and at transit station lots. The utility would recharge car batteries through electric outlets during off-peak overnight hours and recharge the grid from batteries in...

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