Tests by Octopus Energy Group and National Grid ESO have demonstrated the potential benefit of vehicle-to-grid charging, as power from 20 electric vehicles were used to help balance the GB electricity system in real time.
This is the first time that vehicle-to-grid technology has been demonstrated in GB to show that electric vehicles can receive a direct signal from the ESO to support system balancing. It was dome in a test environment of the Balancing Mechanism.
In a series of initial tests run in August 2022, Octopus charged and discharged the batteries of up to 20 electric cars from participating customers at times of grid imbalance.
Analysis from Octopus Energy’s electric vehicles arm suggested that if a million cars participated, delivering 20% of battery volume into the Balancing Mechanism four times a week,
the EVs could realise a profit of around £62 million p/a, whilst customers as a whole would benefit because using EVs would be cheaper than other grid balancing options.
Several large car brands – including Hyundai and Volkswagen – have committed to include V2G technology in their new EVs, further emphasising the potential of the technology.
Claire Miller, Director of Technology and Innovation at Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “ We have shown that this technology is capable of helping to balance our future, green grid, to the benefit of people and the planet.
“We’ve proved what is possible with the technology and cars that are currently on the market, and this is only going to grow. Soon we will have millions of electric cars sitting on driveways capable of storing and exporting green energy back to the grid when it needs it most – and once the vehicle to grid proposition is ready to be launched, these cars will help to support our renewables expansion and taking us a huge step closer to net zero.”
Jake Rigg, Corporate Affairs Director, National Grid ESO, comments: “Vehicle-to-grid technology opens the door for everyone to engage in our electricity system, in a way that we can all benefit from.
“The next steps for us are to take these learnings and work with industry on how we develop and deploy a balancing mechanism service for V2G”.