Government funds projects to enable bidirectional V2X smart charging for EVs

Tue 19 December 2023 View all news

Four projects are to receive a share of £4.8m funding to enable bidirectional charging from electric vehicles which could give households the opportunity to power domestic appliances, or even make money from their EV's battery.

The four projects to secure funding - located in London, Chelmsford, Gateshead, and Leatherhead - will demonstrate so-called vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies that enable EV batteries to be used as a smart energy storage devices that can provide flexibility services to the grid.

This builds on existing smart charging technologies, where EVs can already be charged when electricity prices are lower overnight. 

Businesses could also benefit by storing electricity in their fleets of EVs and using it to power their operations when electricity is in shorter supply and prices are higher.

The use of V2X technologies will help to facilitate the transition to a UK energy system increasingly reliant on renewable electricity - primarily from wind and solar power - by helping to balance demand with available supply.

Minister for Affordability and Skills Amanda Solloway said:   "The prospect of families being able to store energy on their doorstep in electric vehicles and use it to power their homes is incredibly exciting.

"This is exactly the sort of ingenuity and creativity that makes the UK one of the world’s most innovative nations."

Transport Minister for Technology and Decarbonisation Anthony Browne said: "We’re continuing to support drivers, and this innovative new development is the next step in levelling-up our charging technology, which will benefit many households across the country."

The projects to be funded include:

  • Hangar19 Ltd in Chelmsford – demonstration of a 3-socket bidirectional charger, making a wider range of EVs available for energy flexibility and bidirectional charging
  • 3ti Energy Hubs Ltd in Leatherhead – to combine a quick-to-deploy bidirectional charging hub with a solar canopy and energy storage battery, house in recycled shipping containers, which can make access to bidirectional charging available in more destinations, including vehicle depots
  • Otaski Energy Solutions Ltd in Gateshead – to trial their bidirectional EV charger to enable fleet EV operators to access energy in a flexible way which could deliver savings in line with electricity supply and demand surges
  • Electric Green Limited in London – to work with QEnergy to trial wireless V2X technology with a fleet of 20 delivery vehicles at Royal Mail

V2X technology was one of the key opportunities identified by the Zemo-convened EV Energy Taskforce which brought together - for the first time - representatives of the energy and transport sectors to agree on the optimal routes for the electric transition in transport. The Taskforce submitted recommendations to the Government last year and many have since been adopted into legislation. (See this link.)

 

 

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