Vehicle to Grid trial comes to a close

• To explore and report on the impact of V2G charging on the low voltage (LV) electricity network, utilising end-user trial charging data and analysis.
• To demonstrate, via modelling, to what extent V2G can assist with management of LV network demand.
• To examine how sophisticated dynamic bi-directional energy services based on vehicle battery storage, from a variety of energy suppliers, may impact the LV infrastructure.
• Provide recommendations of policy and commercial frameworks on V2G services.

Benefits for trial participants

• Trial participants will receive a V2G charger worth approximately £5,500 to use for the duration of the trial. The charger ownership can be transferred to you at the end of the project for a transfer fee of just £250.
• Active participants will be expected to earn a minimum reward of up to the monetary value of £120, available over the one year trial period from June 2021 and ending in June 2022. Rewards will vary depending on the energy partner proposition participants are offered and accept.

Benefits for the industry

• To help DNOs gain a better understanding of V2G by involving up to five different energy suppliers in the project.
• To help energy suppliers to further their understanding of V2G energy services and how these impact the DNO.
• To help to build a collaborative and cohesive market for all parties to operate.

• Western Power Distribution (WPD) is the project DNO
• CrowdCharge is leading the project
• DriveElectric is helping with recruitment of trial participants
• EA Technology is modelling the network impact

• January 2020: Project start
• June 2020: Recruitment commences
• October 2020: Installations of chargers start
• March 2021: 100 people to be recruited, energy suppliers allocated
• May 2021: 100 project hardware installations complete
• June 2021: Customer trial starts
• June 2022: Customer trial ends
• July 2022: Project ends

All project timelines are subject to delay following COVID-19 outbreak and government advice. The project COVID-19 policy can be viewed here.

Trial applicant criteria for the project:

• Must be resident in the Western Power Distribution (WPD) licence area (Midlands, South West and South Wales) Check the area here.
• Must have a Nissan EV with a battery capacity of at least 30kWh or more
• Need to have the vehicle until the end of the trial (March 2022 – however this has been revised to June 2022 for new applicants [as of Feb 2021] to fit in with the newly updated participant trial dates of June 2021 – June 2022)
• Need to have off-street parking
• Will use the CrowdCharge mobile app to manage charging
• May need to switch to a new energy tariff if required by their project assigned energy supplier*
• May need to have a new smart meter put in / updated as part of the project participation*

Applications that are eligible will need to be authorised to have the charger installed by both the project installer and WPD. This is to make sure that both the electrical system of the property and the local electricity network are suitable for a V2G charger. If both these approvals are received, applicants are able to become a project participant.

* To be confirmed in the individual energy partner Proposition Information documents which will be sent to selected applicants for acceptance. We will have a total of FOUR different energy supplier groups with different trial propositions for the project.