What is vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging?

 

Vehicle-to-grid, often simply referred to as V2G or VGI (Vehicle-grid integration), is set to be a hugely important aspect of EV charging. The technology allows electric cars to feed stored energy back to the national electricity grid. This high-tech advancement has a multitude of benefits for EV users, charge point operators and the wider national energy systems which will be explored further in this article.

What is V2G and how does it work?

Essentially, V2G utilizes bidirectional charging technology to use your EV as energy storage. Whilst your EV charges, energy is stored in the battery. This energy can be used as usual to drive your vehicle, or if this is not needed at the time, it can be converted back into the home or even to the national electricity grid. This means that energy produced can be stored and used when needed instead of producing it on demand. It is important to point out that V2G requires both an EV and EV charging solution that is compatible with bidirectional charging, something which we increasingly see prioritized in the latest EV products but that is not yet given. 

What are the benefits of V2G Charging?  

There are a number of benefits that make V2G an exciting development in the world of not just EV charging but more sustainable energy management as a whole. These benefits also have the potential to positively impact a range of people and organizations, from EV owners to broader communities.  

1) Cost-efficient Charging 

In a time of increasing electricity bills, saving money on bills is certainly welcome. With V2G charging, it is possible to reduce energy bills in the home by charging more smartly and efficiently. With smart energy management systems like our latest product, Prisma Energy Hub, you can take advantage of off-peak energy charging and choose when you want to charge. This energy can then be stored in your EV battery, waiting for whenever you want to use it, whether that is by driving your EV, putting on the washing machine and any other device in your home, or back into the national grid.  

2) Earn While You Charge 

Not only can you save money with V2G charging, but you can also earn it now. The energy stored in your EV’s battery can also be converted back into the grid. Why would EV owners convert their stored energy back into the grid? Because this excess energy stored in the EV can be sold back to the grid. Essentially, V2G owners can, therefore, earn a steady amount of income without actually having to do anything, simply utilizing the excess power produced and stored by their home energy system. A trial case study undertaken in the UK recently by Kaluza suggests that owners can earn up to £725 a year by selling their energy back to the national grid. 

3) Better Grid Resilience 

V2G is an exciting development in the EV industry which has the scope to revolutionize not only how we charge EVs but how we manage our energy consumption more generally. In addition to providing a more cost-effective charging experience for EV owners, the integration of V2G charging is also significant for the maintenance and development of national grids. 

One of the most challenging issues that the national grid faces today is peak demand, which is caused by the fact that people across the country generally use energy at similar times. The strain that peak demands put on the grid is astronomical, and methods to attempt to balance this power have been developing for many years. This issue is becoming increasingly prevalent, however, and with the risk of power outages growing, it is becoming more urgent that we find sustainable solutions for this. V2G charging can offer a way to combat this, as the ability to store energy and use it later lessens the demand on peak charging times. Reducing the fluctuation of dramatic peaks in energy demands provides a more stable and, consequently, more reliable electricity grid for the nation.  

The wider impact of a more stable power grid is impressive and goes beyond just lessening the risk of power outages. The same study, which observed the impact on V2G owners, concluded that widespread use of this technology could save as much as £3.5 billion per year in national grid maintenance, such as grid infrastructure reinforcement and storage. A recent article in Bloomberg suggested that V2G technology could, and is already starting to become, a major method that the UK can use for grid stability. The article predicts that traditional methods of balancing power markets, such as natural gas and oil generators that have been used until now, will be overtaken by smartly charging EVs via V2G technology. This is a hugely significant step in the transition towards a more sustainable future and an important indicator of the significance of the transition to e-mobility across the energy sector.

4) Renewable Energy Integration 

Whilst EVs do not burn fossil fuels directly during their operation, they do still need electricity to function. Therefore, some advancements are still to be made in this area of the EV sector to make it as sustainable as possible. This is because currently, much of the electricity produced even for EVs is via unsustainable, finite resources such as a goal. To make the operation of EVs truly sustainable, this needs to change, and V2G technology provides further scope for this. This is because renewable energy sources are typically less consistent than traditional fossil fuels as they depend on changeable resources such as wind and solar. Due to its ability to store energy, V2G technology has the potential to alleviate this issue. If there is a particularly high-yielding period of time for a particular renewable energy resource, for instance, a very sunny morning, the energy produced can be stored for later usage. Thereby, no energy is wasted. 

As the future of EV charging is varied, there needs to be a converted effort to produce charging infrastructure that reflects this. EV cars and chargers that support bidirectional charging need to be focused on to realise this. Fundamentally, V2G technology has the ability to provide a more resilient and sustainable energy system whilst also unlocking new opportunities for EV users to elevate their charging.