Bidirectional charging technologies could enable families to
charge cars when electricity costs are lowest and use it in their
home at peak times when prices are higher
Households and businesses could even save money on their bills by
selling electricity from their vehicles back to the grid
Government is awarding four projects £4.8 million to develop and
implement Vehicle-to-Everything technologies
Families could soon save hundreds of pounds on energy bills by
using electricity stored in their electric vehicles (EVs) to
power home appliances such as fridges and washing machines –
thanks to new two-way charging technologies being supported with
government funding.
Households could power their home appliances as a result of the
development of bidirectional charging, which enables electricity
stored in a vehicle’s battery to flow back into the grid or back
into the home and workplaces, which can then be used to power
other devices.
This builds on existing smart charging technologies, where EVs
can be charged when electricity prices are lower overnight.
Families could then use these Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)
technologies to save money on their bills by selling the
electricity back to the grid when prices are higher.
Businesses could also benefit from the V2X technologies by
storing electricity in their fleets of EVs and using it to power
their operations at a later date. These technologies will also
help make it even easier to rely on renewable technologies such
as solar panels, with less need for fossil fuels to provide for
surges in demand by allowing stored renewable energy to be sold
into the grid instead.
Four projects are today receiving a share of £4.8 million of
government funding to support their work testing and implementing
these innovative technologies.
Minister for Affordability and Skills
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.
“By backing this technology, we could save families hundreds of
pounds a year, while also supporting jobs, investment and
growth.”
Transport Minister for Technology and Decarbonisation
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.
“This Government has already spent over £2bn in the transition to
electric vehicles and our charging network is growing at pace,
with 44% more public chargepoints than this time last year,
meaning drivers can charge more easily than before.”
The successful companies are:
-
Hangar19 Ltd in Chelmsford – will demonstrate
a three-socket bidirectional charger, making a wider range of
EVs available for energy flexibility and bidirectional
charging.
-
3ti Energy Hubs Ltd in Leatherhead – will
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 –
will 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 – will work
with QEnergy to trial wireless V2X technology with a fleet of
20 delivery vehicles at Royal Mail.
Today’s funding builds on existing government funding for
electric vehicle charging, such as the £70 million pilot scheme,
announced at COP28 in Dubai. This will also boost the number of
ultra-rapid charge points at motorway services.
It comes as some of the world’s leading car manufacturers are
choosing the UK as their home to develop the latest electric
vehicles and the battery technology. They include:
- BMW, who have announced a £600 million investment to
transform their Oxford plant to build the electric Mini
- Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover, who are investing £4 billion in a
new gigafactory to create up to 4,000 highly skilled jobs; and
- Nissan, who have announced they are delivering up to £2
billion investment to create a new electric vehicle manufacturing
hub in Sunderland – helping put more zero emission vehicles on UK
roads.
The UK has also committed to ending the sale of all new non-zero
emission vehicles by 2035 to support the delivery of net zero.
This ambition, combined with government support for industry
through technologies like V2X, is helping cement the UK’s world
leading position in the design, manufacture, and use of zero
emissions vehicles, which will provide economic growth by
stimulating employment, investment, and exports.
This follows the Prime Minister’s proportionate and pragmatic
decision to delay the ban on new diesel and petrol cars from 2030
to 2035 - bringing the UK in line with countries such as Canada
and Spain - which will support manufacturers and families in
making the switch to electric, providing flexibility while also
helping to grow the economy.
The programme is part of the overarching up to £65 million Flexibility
Innovation Programme, supporting the efficient and flexible
use of electricity, within the Department for Energy Security and
Net Zero’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation
Portfolio (NZIP).
Notes to editors
