18 cents per kWh is something like 5-6 times the wholesale price of kWh. This means that using EV for large scale storage is highly uneconomical.
And using batteries to smooth out the leaks will allow greatly reducing the peak size of equipment for T&D.
Additionally, look at wholesale markets for electricity, such as Texas', and you will see price swings during a day far far in excess of 18 cents/kWh. This indicates that storage is extremely economical today.