UK Government invests £30 million to investigate vehicle-to-grid technology

The UK Government has dedicated £30 million to the development of new technology that could unlock the potential for electric vehicles to power people’s homes, known as vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G).

Through its Industrial Strategy, the Government is committed to becoming a world leader in shaping the future of mobility and in the design and development of clean technologies of the future. The investment will help that ambition, V2G technologies that could enable electric vehicles to deliver electricity back to the smart grid; lighting homes and powering businesses.

The funding has been awarded to 21 V2G projects, to pay for research, design and development, exploring and trialling the technology and commercial opportunities. The schemes will attempt to demonstrate how stored energy from the electric vehicle batteries can be ‘borrowed’ by the electricity system before being recharged during off-peak periods.

Dan Bentham, Head of R&D, Smart Customers, EDF Energy said: “Electric vehicles will play an important role in the future of UK energy and its economy. They will have a beneficial impact on the environment by reducing emissions and improving air quality. Through our research, EDF Energy will use new technologies, business models and smart systems to make low carbon transport, and the infrastructure and market conditions needed for its success, a reality.”

A demonstration is currently happening in Oxford, led by EDF Energy R&D UK. The ‘V2GO’ is a large-scale demonstration of V2G charging using 100 electric fleet vehicles (cars and vans). The project will develop, trial and evaluate potential business models for the use of electric vehicles and their suitability for V2G charging.

At the same time these electric vehicles will provide a cleaner alternative to many of the fleet vehicles operated in UK cities, including Royal Mail vans and Addison Lee taxis.

Business Minister, Richard Harrington said: “The UK’s automotive industry is a great British success story and as set out in our ambitious Industrial Strategy we are determined to lead the way in innovative, low-emission vehicle production. We have shown that growing the economy while cutting emissions, can, and should, go hand in hand. Vehicle-to-grid technology provides another opportunity for the UK to showcase to the world our leading expertise in game-changing automotive and low carbon technologies.”

The competition for government funding, run by Innovate UK, saw a host of winners including SSE Services, Nissan, OVO Energy, Octopus Energy, Cisco, Flexisolar and AT Kearney.