Study looks at how to reward drivers that use electric cars to support the national power network

Technology developer Moixa is working with energy and transport companies studying how to reward drivers who use their electric car batteries to support the UK’s power grid.

The collaboration will develop driver-centered business models to support a rapid roll out of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies, allowing millions of electric cars to become a vital part of the UK energy system.

Chris Wright, CTO at Moixa, said, “Electric vehicles will play a key role in decarbonizing road transport but put new demands on our power network. V2G could bring major savings, by managing this demand and reducing the need for costly upgrades.

“We can lower the cost of owning electric cars and support growth of this sector by sharing these savings fairly, so that drivers benefit from the use of their batteries to support the grid.”

Mark Dale, innovation and low carbon networks engineer for Western Power Distribution, said, “V2G could present a real opportunity to provide a benefit to electric vehicle drivers, electricity customers and networks if managed in the correct way. The uptake of electric vehicles will present significant challenges, and smart charging along with V2G solutions could be critical in integrating them into the electricity network with minimum disruption.”

The consortium includes National Grid, Western Power Distribution and Nissan’s European Technical Centre, as a part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance research activities. Element Energy will coordinate the project and lead the modeling, supported by Moixa, Cenex and the Energy Systems Catapult.

The Vehicle to Grid Britain study is one of 21 projects, which will share nearly US$41.2 (£30m) of government funding. While other projects are focused on large-scale trials, the consortium will establish the best ways to incentivize a rapid roll-out of V2G technology by sharing revenue from supporting the grid with key players – drivers of electric vehicles, owners of smart chargers, owners of charging sites such as car parks, and aggregators of battery capacity.

National Grid and Western Power Distribution will advise on the full range of ways electric vehicles can support the energy system and the revenue this can generate. Nissan’s European Technical Centre will provide real-life data on driver behavior. Moixa and Cenex will contribute expertise from the UK’s first domestic V2G trial.