AC/DC: Innovative V2G EV Charging Trial Leverages Lower-Cost Technology

By enabling electric vehicles (EVs) to discharge their stored energy back into the grid during peak demand periods, V2G technology offers a promising solution for lowering energy costs and reducing carbon emissions. The V2VNY project aims to demonstrate the commercial viability of V2G, making it a more accessible option for fleet owners, businesses, and EV drivers.

The first AC V2G chargers have now been installed as part of the V2VNY trial. This groundbreaking project could pave the way for a future where EVs play a pivotal role in balancing the electricity grid and supporting a more sustainable energy system.

Vehicle to grid charging means that an EV can take power from the grid and also send it back. If an EV is charged when electricity prices are low and then return electricity back to the grid at peak times when prices are high, fleet/building owners can save on electricity costs. The V2VNY project is also trialling sending energy from EVs to buildings and to other vehicles as part of V2X (Vehicle to Everything).

Until now V2G has only been possible with EVs featuring CHAdeMO (DC, or high power) charging technology, as featured on the Nissan LEAF. Virtually all of the latest EVs now use CCS (DC) charging technology rather than CHAdeMO; standards exist to ensure CCS technology works with V2G by 2025.

However the V2VNY trial is using AC bi-direction rather than DC charging technology, which the innovative charger synchronises with the grid. The AC solution is more efficient at low power and is therefore more suited for the use of V2G in a workplace or domestic setting, as well as meaning much lower costs for a charger.

V2G is seen by many industry experts as offering an important way to store energy generated by renewables and then to supply this back to the grid at peak times, to help reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels and to accelerate progress to net zero. There are now over one million EVs on UK roads, with this figure growing every month, providing an ever-increasing quantity of mobile battery storage units.

V2VNY trial participants are provided with a free V2G EV charger which can be kept after the end of the project; they need compatible electric vehicles on their fleet which feature AC V2X technology.

The V2VNY project is being led by Hangar 19, in partnership with CrowdCharge and DriveElectric. CrowdCharge has been running V2G in homes for over three years, with effective results. Other project partners are Electric Corby, Oxfordshire County Council, Grid Beyond and JLR. JLR is providing prototype electric vehicles for use in the trial.

The V2VNY Phase 2 project, part of the V2X Innovation Programme, is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), delivered by Innovate UK. The V2X Innovation Programme is part of the up to £65m Flexibility Innovation Programme, funded from the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

The V2VNY trial commenced in September 2024 and runs through to the end of March 2025.