FAQs

This could be for several reasons: 

• Go into the Wallbox App and check whether your charger is locked. This is the middle button under the amp dial. If you charger is locked, CrowdCharge cannot recognise that you are plugged in and therefore schedule your charge. You can disable the “autolock” feature which should prevent you having to check whether the charger is locked or not. Please ensure the setting is ‘unlocked’ at all times. 
• You may be at your maximum State of Charge – specified to CrowdCharge in your charging parameters. 
• Your charger may have lost communications with the CrowdCharge Controller which will result in CrowdCharge not being able to send charging demands to your charger. Please try and “Restart” the charger using the Wallbox App (Configuration > Advanced Options > Restart). Please use the Online Project Support Form to notify CrowdCharge and we can check if your charger is back online. 
• You may also still have a schedule set in the Wallbox App. Please go onto the charger screen, and if you have a schedule it will show below your charging sessions summary. Click on the 3 dots to the right and delete schedule.  

If you have checked the above reasons, and your vehicle does not charge as expected on your next plug in, please contact CrowdCharge. 

Please check if you have set the Grid Code within the Wallbox smartphone application. Without a grid code, your charger will not be able to initiate a discharge. In the app please navigate to Configuration > Installation Options > UKG99 

It is highly likely that your charger is Offline. Please try and “Restart” the charger using the Wallbox smartphone app (Navigate to Configuration > Advanced Options > Restart).

Once this has been completed, please use the Online Project Support Form to notify CrowdCharge and we can check if your charger is back online. 

There could be several reasons for this: 

• You may be in “Charge Now” mode on the CrowdCharge App. If you press the ‘Charge now’ and then the  ‘save’ button below, you will remain in this mode for the next 24 hours. You can check what setting is saved by opening the CrowdCharge app and logging in. To revert your charging mode to CrowdCharge smart scheduling, click on the “Optimise” button and then “Save” button below when you plug in to avoid your car charging during peak hours.  
• Your charger may have lost communications with the CrowdCharge Controller which will result in CrowdCharge not being able to send charging demands to your charger. Please try and “Restart” the charger using the Wallbox smartphone app (Navigate to Configuration > Advanced Options > Restart). Then once completed, please use the Online Project Support Form to notify CrowdCharge and we can check if your charger is back online. 

If you have checked the above reasons, and your EV is still unexpectedly charging immediately upon plugging in, please contact CrowdCharge. 

95% is the maximum State of Charge that the Wallbox Quasar charger will charge your car up to. If you need the full 100%, please use a 3-pin charger for the last 5%.  

Project Hardware to be installed for the project includes:

• Wallbox Quasar V2G charger
• CrowdCharge Controller (to be installed inside next to your consumer unit or outside depending on your property layout. Your installer will confirm this.)
• Electricity Import/Export clamps
• Solar Clamps (if solar is installed)
• Telematics Device

Wallbox Quasar V2G charger (left) and CrowdCharge controller unit (right)

We will be aiming to install all of the telematics devices before August 2021. We will be in contact with participants in May and June to give you some more information on the installation. Levl (the company installing the devices) will then be in contact with you directly to arrange an installation date.

Telematics device installers have in place Covid-19 secure processes. This will be shared with each participant.

It is a project requirement to have a telematics device installed for the duration of the customer trial. This will be removed by the project at the conclusion of the trial.

Please note: If you have a LEAF Spy, this will need to be disconnected for the duration of the project. If you have any queries about this, please contact electricnation-v2g@crowd-charge.com

1st June 2021 – The official participant trial starts, and you will begin earning rewards as detailed in your Energy Proposition Information Document.

Please see project FAQ above:

What Project Hardware will be installed at my property?

You can also head to the Electric Nation Twitter channel, or follow CrowdCharge on Twitter or LinkedIn to keep up to date with the latest installation pictures, and project updates!

1st May 2021 – Baseline monitoring starts

• The majority of the project hardware and V2G chargers are currently scheduled to all have been installed by the end of April 2021 [dependent on any participant on-boarding or COVID-19 delays]. Ahead of the participant trial starting, CrowdCharge will just monitor your basic day-to-day EV charging to get a baseline of your charging patterns. You will be free to plug and play with the Wallbox Quasar and App as you please for this month.
• If applicable – CrowdCharge recommend that for the project you initiated your switch to your project energy supplier before 1st May 2021 in anticipation of the participant trial start of 1st June 2021. CrowdCharge will in touch with each participant individually to advise them how and when to switch.
• Participants will receive a Monthly Charging Summary email that will include the cost of your charge cycles on your new tariff (if applicable), and detail the number of compliant plug ins you completed during the previous month:
  • 10 minimum plugs in per month from 18:00-05:00
  • 15 plugs in per month from 18:00-05:00, to be eligible for your proposition rewards (from 1^st June 2021)

1st June 2021 – The official participant trial starts and you will begin earning rewards

• Participants will now begin to receive a monthly reward / V2G benefit as outlined in your proposition information document for achieving a certain number of full plug-in cycles per month.
• Participant will have access to the CrowdCharge app, which will allow participants to select their preferred charging option. CrowdCharge will send login and user instructions to participants during May.

1st August 2021 – CrowdCharge smart scheduling starts

• At this stage in the trial, CrowdCharge will activate our real-time dynamic optimisation solution, to automatically shift your charging (and discharging if appropriate) to the cheapest period while taking into account your charging user requirements which is inputted through your CrowdCharge App.
• Participant will have access to the CrowdCharge app, which will allow participants to select their preferred charging option. CrowdCharge will send login and user instructions to participants during July.
• Participant will continue to receive a monthly reward/V2G benefit as outlined in your proposition information document for achieving a certain number of full plug in cycles per month.

1^st May 2022 – Participant trial ends

• CrowdCharge will be in touch with you ahead of the participant trial ending to confirm the ownership transfer fee if you decide to keep the project hardware at the end of the trial.
• Also, CrowdCharge will confirm any post-trial information including any ongoing hardware support processes.

If applicable – CrowdCharge recommend that for the Project you initiate your switch to your Project energy supplier before 1st May 2021 (but the earlier the better once you have completed and returned your Participant Agreement) in anticipation of the participant trial start of 1st June 2021.

CrowdCharge will then be able to give you a Monthly Charging Summary that will include the cost of your monthly charges on your new tariff. CrowdCharge will be in touch with individual participants if we notice you have not begun the switching process by this date.

No, this is not an issue. As long as you have initiated the switch over to your project energy supplier, it does not matter that your smart meter has not be installed yet. We will be in contact with your supplier so will receive confirmation from them when your smart meter has been installed.  

CrowdCharge will automatically process your rewards if you complete at least 15 full (18:00-05:00) plug-ins per month as outlined in the Project information document and most recently your proposition information document. You will receive a Monthly Charging Summary email that will detail:

• Number of charge cycles
• How much energy (kWh) you have imported and exported (if applicable) from your car
• Total cost of charge cycles for the month
• How many charge cycles were compliant with the required plug in parameters (and therefore, if you will be receiving the monthly reward)

CrowdCharge will process reward vouchers (if applicable to your proposition) on a quarterly basis, with the first eligible payments being made in the first week in September 2021 (3-months after 1^st June 2021).

You can log a fault, complaint or feedback at any time throughout the trial via our Project Support Form.

Note: CrowdCharge would prefer you use this Project Support Form rather than email/call us as this is the most effective way for us to log your fault and deal with it in the most efficient way.

We would like you to come to us with any issues you are experiencing across the trial. Whether it be a charger fault, or an energy bill issue, coming to us first will ensure your issue is sorted int a timely and effective manner. We will send over any relevant information to your energy supplier and they may contact you directly, or the information will come back through CrowdCharge.

You will schedule your charging on the Wallbox app up until 1^st June. From June – August, CrowdCharge will optimise your charging so you will not have to use the Wallbox app at all. Instead, from 1^st June, you can use the CrowdCharge App to managing your charging.

• Yes, CrowdCharge have designed some Wallbox app and user instructions available here.

In May, CrowdCharge will be asking a number of charger operational questions to ascertain some key information. This will include:

• Your Minimum and Maximum State of Charge
• Typical Weekday plug in and unplug
• Typical Weekend plug in and unplug,
• Target Minimum State of Charge on unplug (weekday and weekend)

As of 1^st June, CrowdCharge will optimise your charging based on your operational parameters and energy tariff information you have given us to help ensure you receive the cheapest and greenest energy available.

As well as providing CrowdCharge with the data above, you will also be given access to the CrowdCharge Web app which will give you the opportunity to select between 2 charging settings:

• “Charge Now”. With the “Charge Now” setting selected, once you have plugged in, the car will charge immediately to 100% state of charge (SoC). Please only use this if necessary, as this is likely to increase your charging cost as charging during “peak” hours may be more expensive (depending on your tariff type).
• “Optimise”: With the Optimise setting selected, when plugged in CrowdCharge will scheduling your charging.

Wallbox have confirmed that the Quasar charger model only allows participants to charge up to 97% State of Charge.

Smart charging (V1G) enables control over the charging of EVs in a way which allows the charging power to be increased and decreased or started or stopped as instructed by the charge point demand management software.

Vehicle to Grid (V2G) goes a step further and enables bi-directional charging so that the EV battery can be charged and discharged. This means that as well as using electricity from the grid to charge the EV, the stored energy in the EV battery can be reversed (or discharged) to power your home or send power back to the grid when needed during peak electricity demand. This would help to balance variations in the national energy production and consumption, and to help save you money by buying energy when it is cheaper and greener.

The original Electric Nation project successfully examined the impact of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging on local networks and also showed that smart charging is a highly effective way to mitigate any possible excessive demand. However, in the last two years bi-directional (or V2G) charging has emerged as a likely feature of the domestic EV charging market, with energy suppliers and car manufacturers now commercially offering combined car leasing and energy plans including bi-directional charging. In addition, the UK government has awarded up to £40m in grants to explore the introduction of this innovative technology.

With the increase in EV vehicle adoption and home charging comes increased stress on the national energy grid, especially during times of peak electricity demand (during the morning and early evening.) There is a balancing act to be struck between market solutions and the need for the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to monitor and intervene when maximum network load is reached. These V2G services could provide an important additional tool for managing these areas. The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid project can provide an important insight into how energy service providers and the DNO can operate to achieve maximum benefit for all customers.

To participate in the trial, you’ll need to satisfy the below requirements:

1. Own or lease a new model Nissan LEAF (30kWh minimum), or a Nissan e-NV200, up until the end of the trial (was March 2022, now June 2022 for all new applicants. This falls in line with the new trial dates revised in February 2021).
2. Live within the region managed by network operator Western Power Distribution (WPD). This covers areas of the Midlands, South Wales and the South West: you can check your eligibility here.
3. Own your home where the charger would be installed (or business address), or if you rent have written permission from your landlord to have the charger installed.
4. Have off-street parking (which, if asked, you can prove you have the legal right to park there).
5. Commit to using the V2G charger as your primary method of home charging and to participate in the trial until June 2022.

When you become a participant in the Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid trial, to remain eligible you’ll need to make sure the V2G charger is the main method of charging your EV. If it’s not, then CrowdCharge has the right to remove the charger, and your participation will be terminated.

If a participant leaves before the end of the trial in June 2022 a trial exit fee is applicable. The exact amount will be calculated according to the length of time that you participated in the trial, however this could be an exit fee of up to £2,000 and the charger will be removed. You can view the exit fees here.

NOTE: All pricing subject to change without notice. Correct as of March 2021.

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid recruitment qualification process is a 2 stage application process; we are not asking for immediate commitment.

1st – This is where the applicant applies via the application form (recruitment and qualification of new applications closed in March 2021), and is then initially qualified by CrowdCharge to be likely to be eligible for the project, pending their property electrical layout survey.

If you pass this 1st qualification stage, then the potential participant is sent an Expression of Interest form with initial project terms and conditions. You will not be held accountable to these Terms & Conditions. At this stage, this is simply to make you aware of the Terms & Conditions of the Project and what is required from you as a Project Participant.

By completing the EOI form and returning proof of EV ownership and address documents, the potential participant is happy in principle with the project outline at this stage.

2nd – Once we have confirmation of the specific tariff offers for the project from energy suppliers, we will inform relevant potential participants – you will have the opportunity to consider whether this is suitable for your circumstances, and whether to accept a place on these terms. At any point you may decide to discontinue your application.

Nissan has outpaced other car manufacturers by bringing V2G-compatible EV models to the market using CHAdeMO charging protocols, which are the only charging protocol that allows V2G charging at the moment.

The new Nissan LEAF and the Nissan e-NV200 are currently the only vehicles which the Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid project will be supporting. You’ll need to own or lease, and use as your primary vehicle, to be eligible to apply to the project.

Any Nissan LEAF or Nissan e-NV200 vans with at least a 30kWh+ battery are eligible to apply to the project.

Our agreement with Nissan currently only guarantees warranty coverage for the following:

• Nissan LEAF 30kWh, 40kWh, 62kWh
• Nissan e-NV200 40kWh

Research is ongoing with regards to the impacts of V2G on car batteries, however indications to date are encouraging and we will be working closely with Nissan to ensure the operation of the charger meets their closely controlled guidelines and protects the warranty. We would also use our V2G charging algorithm to minimise any battery degradation. As Nissan is the only manufacturer to include V2G operation as part of its warranty this was a major factor in using the Nissan LEAF and Nissan e-NV200 for this trial.

When we confirm which V2G charger we will be using for the trial, we will ensure the Project Hardware, energy services and profiles that we intend to trial on the Project will not invalidate your warranty. We will not utilise your EV as part of the Customer Trial until your battery warranty is covered with Nissan. In the instance your battery warranty is not authorised for use with the Project V2G hardware/services we will notify you immediately.

This project will, for the first time, operate up to five different energy supply V2G strategies simultaneously across 100 V2G chargers to imitate a future world where many people have EVs, V2G chargers and V2G energy services with their different energy suppliers.

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid Project aims to explore the impact of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging on the low voltage (LV) networks using participant trial charging and discharging data. This will demonstrate to what extent dynamic bi-directional energy services, based on vehicle battery storage, from a variety of energy suppliers, assists with the management of low voltage (LV) infrastructure and network demand.

The project will achieve these aims by:

• Giving the participant a free charger for the duration of the project until June 2022.
  The participant must adhere to the trial participation parameters set out here.
• Providing a participation reward for the one year trial duration, alongside or directly from our 4 energy provider partners, ending in June 2022. This would be to a minimum monetary value of £120 for the full one year trial duration and will be outlined in the individual energy partner Proposition Information documents.
• When the project has finished, the CrowdCharge platform (accessed during the trial through the mobile app) is designed so that the participant has a choice of suppliers after the trial ends, and if they wish to pay the ownership transfer fee of £250 then they will be able to keep the V2G charger.

The uptake of EVs is accelerating quickly and is expected to continue to do so. While the UK can generate enough electricity to charge these vehicles, charging more EVs would have a greater impact on local electricity networks, especially if it coincides with existing peak electricity demand which is usually between 06:00-08:00 and 17:00-20:00 on weekdays.

This trial of bi-directional energy services with up to five different energy suppliers provides a much greater use of energy flow of the stored energy within the vehicle battery which we can potentially utilise to support the LV network during times of this peak demand period.

By using V2G chargers, a demand management provider (such as CrowdCharge) can remotely communicate with bi-directional chargers to charge and discharge the EV battery during peak and off-peak demand times. Some EV owners may be able to programme some of their preferences through the CrowdCharge app. This information will be used to charge the vehicle’s battery at a time or rate best suited to the network but within the car owner’s tolerances. i.e. it would never discharge below the minimum driving range that the trial participant would be able to set.

Local network operators could use this type of service when local networks are stressed as an alternative to replacing their infrastructure (e.g. cables in roads). Data gathered from the trial will be used to help local network operators identify which parts of their network are most at risk as EV ownership increases and how these different V2G services can be part of the solution.

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid project is hosted by Western Power Distribution (WPD) and is delivered by the following collaboration partners:

• CrowdCharge – Project Lead

In addition, there are supporting collaborators:

• EA Technology
• DriveElectric (a brand name of Fleetdrive Management)
• Four project energy partners
  • Flexitricity
  • Green Energy UK
  • Igloo Energy
  • Final partner TBA February 2021

Western Power Distribution (WPD)

The Distribution Network Operator (DNO) providing funding through the Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) and Ofgem. WPD is overseeing the project.

CrowdCharge

The project lead responsible for project management, engagement, recruitment, installations and management of participants throughout the project including all customer-facing activity and managing all aspects of customer research, PR, marketing and dissemination of learning for the project.

CrowdCharge is also responsible for providing an end-user support helpline during the trial, along with procurement and installation of V2G charging equipment, the end user interface and charging management platform and data analysis, among other tasks.

CrowdCharge has extensive experience in the above areas including with previous EV grid projects such as My Electric Avenue and Electric Nation (2016-2019), providing a demand management control system for the latter project across 350 smart chargers. CrowdCharge has also spent two years working with a respected and experienced Japanese vehicle to home (V2H) supplier, with over 6,000 units installed in Japan, and has successfully adapted this hardware for the UK market; the hardware is UK grid compliant and was deployed in a mini-V2G trial within the Electric Nation project.

DriveElectric

DriveElectric is responsible for helping CrowdCharge during project recruitment. DriveElectric successfully recruited 674 participants for the first Electric Nation smart charging trial.

EA Technology

EA Technology is responsible for modelling of low voltage (LV) network impact for future EV charging scenarios and to support development of policy recommendations during the project’s dissemination stage.

Energy suppliers

There will be four project energy suppliers will partner with CrowdCharge on the project and will be managing various groups of chargers. CrowdCharge will allocate participants to the onboard suppliers.

Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid is the customer-facing brand of Electric Nation PoweredUp, a Western Power Distribution (WPD) and Network Innovation Allowance funded project. WPD’s collaboration partner in the project is CrowdCharge.

Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid Project is the customer facing name of WPD’s Electric Nation PoweredUp Project. Both these project names refer to the same project.

The project started in January 2020 and will conclude in July 2022, with a one year customer trial period starting in June 2021 until June 2022.

Recruitment starts June 2020, and charger installations will start from Autumn 2020.

These timelines are subject to COVID-19 updates and government guidelines.

Installation

The project will pay for the installation of the V2G charger (this usually costs up to £1,000) assuming your property falls into the standard installation criteria.  This includes:

• 20-metre cable run from distribution board or meter tails to ChargePoint location
• Mounting of charger to a fixed structure, such as brick or external wall

If any additional work is required to allow for the installation of the V2G charger, we will ask you to cover the additional cost of this. CrowdCharge will also review the extra cost issued by the installer. The installer will inform you of this additional cost upfront for your acceptance.

More information on this is detailed under the FAQ ‘Will I have to pay for installation?’.

V2G charger hardware

The recommended retail price (RRP) of the V2G charger is estimated to be £5,500. The project V2G charger is free to use for the duration of the trial, concluding in March 2022. If you would then like to keep the project hardware after the trial ends, you are able to have the ownership transferred to you for a small transfer fee as detailed in the Project Exit fees.

CrowdCharge has tested a range of charger makes and models, and can confirm the selected project V2G charger that we will be offering to participants is the ‘Wallbox Quasar’. More information here.

CrowdCharge has confirmed the participant trial commencing officially in June 2021 [when participants will begin earning rewards for plugging in] will have different stages as outlined below:

1st May 2021 – Baseline monitoring starts

• All of the project participants project hardware and V2G chargers are currently scheduled to all have been installed by the end of April 2021 [dependent on any participant on-boarding or COVID-19 delays]. Ahead of the participant trial starting, CrowdCharge will just monitor your basic day-to-day EV charging to get a baseline of your charging patterns.
• If applicable – CrowdCharge recommend that for the project you have initiated your switch to your project energy supplier before 1st May 2021 in anticipation of the participant trial start of 1st June 2021. CrowdCharge will be able to provide more information on this from March 2021 which will relate to your individual proposition. 

1st June 2021 – The official participant trial starts and you will begin earning rewards

• Participants will now begin to receive a monthly reward / V2G benefit as outlined in your proposition information document for achieving a certain number of full plug-in cycles per month.

1st August 2021 – CrowdCharge smart scheduling starts

• At this stage in the trial, CrowdCharge will activate our real-time dynamic optimisation solution, and include your energy tariff pricing, to automatically shift your charging (and discharging if appropriate) to the cheapest period while taking into account your charging user requirements which is inputted through your CrowdCharge App.

30th June 2022 – Participant trial ends

• CrowdCharge will be in touch with you ahead of the participant trial ending to confirm the ownership transfer fee if you decide to keep the project hardware at the end of the trial.
• Also, CrowdCharge will to confirm any post-trial information including any ongoing hardware support processes.

Installations are due to start from Autumn 2020.
This will be subject to COVID-19 updates and government guidelines.

The project will cover the cost of a standard ChargePoint installation (installation spec to be confirmed).

However, if it is a very complex install, the installer will provide a no-obligation quote for the additional work to be paid for by the participant or advise that we cannot install at the property. Either way, we will make sure the participant is 100% happy with the detail of the installation before we start any work.

Additional installations works could include:

• Upgrade to your property’s PME earthing to meet current IET wiring and electrical regulations
• Upgrade of your consumer unit
• Groundworks trenching to lay cables
• Longer than 20m cable run from consumer unit/meter tails to charge point location

At the end of the trial, you can choose between the following two options:

• You can keep the charger and have the ownership of it transferred to you. This will cost a one-off fee of £250. The charger costs £5,500 RRP so this represents a huge saving. Providing V2G services may also be worth up to £500 per year for an EV owner (it’s not possible to provide exact figures at this time).
• You can have the charger uninstalled and taken away free of charge by the CrowdCharge project installer. Your original dumb or smart V1G charger will then be reconnected by the CrowdCharge project installed if you already owned one which was disconnected during the project hardware installation.

NOTE: All pricing subject to change without notice. Correct as of June 2020.

We don’t know what is going to be available on the market at the end of the trial so cannot guarantee this is feasible. This is an innovation trial.

If the participant is not satisfied by what is available at the end of the trial and does not wish to keep their assigned project hardware, CrowdCharge will retain the ownership and will remove the project hardware.

There is the intention to have this service available to opt in if you wished for V2G functionality. However, we are unable to make 100% guarantees at this point because its an innovation trial.

If your project hardware suffers a fault you can report this directly to your original installer who will record, diagnose, and resolve your fault in coordination with CrowdCharge and the hardware manufacturer if required.

We will work hard to ensure the equipment remains operational throughout – however some of the equipment is new and leading edge, and as this is an innovation trial we do anticipate one or two challenges along the way, and we look forward to uncovering these and working to resolve them as soon as we can.

The following Project Participant Parameters detail your minimum requirements that you must uphold for the duration of the trial to remain a Project Participant.

We would encourage participants to plug in their Nissan EV whenever the vehicle is at home, even if a charge isn’t required.

These participation parameters include, but are not limited to:

1. From the installation date of the V2G charger, this charger should be the primary source of charging the EV. This includes in the preparation phase of the trial during 2020, before the official trial begins in June 2021, through to June 2022
2. Completion of a minimum of 10 full* charge cycles per month to keep your place on the trial and use of the V2G charger over the trial period
3. Completion of at least 15 full* charge cycles per month to be eligible for the rewards incentive**
4. Use of the CrowdCharge mobile app to manage charging preferences

*Timings subject to change as the project develops. A ‘full charge cycle’ is plugging in an EV and leaving it connected continuously to the V1G/V2G charger during the hours of 18:00 through to 05:00 the next day. If the EV is disconnected at any point during this period, it will not count towards your monthly total of full charge cycles. This term ‘full’ does not mean your EV will charged to ‘full’ each time you complete a charge cycle; it just refers to the charge cycle process. You would input your minimum discharge range and also what final charge state is required for the next day via the CrowdCharge app to determine your charge status at the end of the charging cycle.

**Each eligible participant will receive the minimum reward to the monetary value of £10 per month for the duration of the one-year trial, from June 2021 – June 2022. The full details of the ‘reward’ will be confirmed during summer 2020 with our energy supplier partners.

Note: The ability to earn the rewards incentive will commence on the initiation of the customer trial in June 2021, for a one-year period, concluding in June 2022. If you do not complete 15 charge cycles per month, you will not receive the incentive reward unless otherwise stated in your allocated energy supplier proposition document. You will be allowed to remain on the trial assuming you complete the minimum of 10 charge cycles.

Customer trial start date may be delayed due to COVID-19 outbreak and Government guidance. CrowdCharge will inform all participants of any updates.

We would encourage participants to plug in their Nissan EV whenever the vehicle is at home, even if a charge isn’t required.

A full charge cycle is plugging in an EV and leaving it connected to the V2G charger during the hours of 18:00 through to 05:00 the next day*. If the EV is disconnected at any point during this period, it will not count towards the monthly total of full cycles.

To be eligible to receive a monthly reward in each of the 12 months during the live trial period up to the monetary value of a minimum** of £10 per month, then a minimum of 15 full charging cycles per month should be completed.

To remain on the trial a minimum of 10 full charging cycles must be completed per month to adhere to the trial participation parameters.

NOTE: All pricing subject to change without notice. Correct as of June 2020.

*Timings subject to change as the project develops. This term ‘full’ does not mean your EV will charged to ‘full’ each time you complete a charge cycle; it just refers to the charge cycle process. You would input your minimum discharge range and also what final charge state is required for the next day via the CrowdCharge app to determine your charge status at the end of the charging cycle. If the participant does not meet the requirements for a month they will miss out on that month’s reward sum.

**Each eligible participant will receive the minimum reward to the monetary value of £10 per month for the duration of the one-year trial, from June 2021 – June 2022. The full details of the ‘reward’ will be confirmed with our energy supplier partners as they are onboarded to the project.

NOTE: The ability to earn the rewards incentive will commence on the initiation of the customer trial in June 2021, for a one-year period, concluding in June 2022. If you do not complete 15 charge cycles per month, you will not receive the incentive reward unless otherwise stated in your allocated energy supplier proposition document. You will be allowed to remain on the trial assuming you complete the minimum of 10 charge cycles.

Customer trial start date may be delayed due to COVID-19 outbreak and Government guidance. CrowdCharge will inform all participants of any updates.

A participant will only receive the reward if they complete the full 15 charging cycles in a month, so unfortunately they would not get their monthly reward for the month if this was not completed.

To remain on the trial a minimum of 10 full charging cycles must be completed per month to adhere to the trial participation parameters.

Yes, the V2G project charger will connect to your internet through WiFi or via a hardwired Ethernet cable.

CrowdCharge will only have access to the project hardware to record data and trial the hardware. At no point will CrowdCharge be able to view or connect to any other smart device in the home.

The CrowdCharge mobile platform will be connected and checked by the installer when your V2G charger is installed as part of the process. This app will enable you as a participant to manage your charging preferences.

The CrowdCharge platform application must be used to manage all your charging preferences from the initial install of your V2G charger, up until the trial ends in June 2022. This is outlined in the participant parameters.

Yes, access will be available via a subscription service after the trial. The subscription service details are still to be confirmed, but will likely be £3-4 per user, paid monthly.

CrowdCharge will own the charger for the full duration of the project so it can be recovered if necessary if the participant is not meeting the participation parameters.

As CrowdCharge owns the charger for the duration of the trial, we have the right to remove it at our discretion.

If you decide to keep the charger at the conclusion of the customer trial in June 2022 the ownership rights will transfer to you for a fee. Thereafter all maintenance and repairs will be your responsibility.

• Will this get disconnected and will there be a cost for this, or will it be part of the installation with the new one?
  Yes, it will be disconnected by project installers on your project charger installation day. This will be at no cost to customer.
• Am I permitted to still use my current charger?
  No, if you have a current charger installed, it will be disconnected during the project charger installation for the duration of the project.
• If I decide not to keep the charger at the end of the trial, will someone reconnect my old charger – if so at what cost?
  The project installer will reconnect your original charger on the day the project hardware is uninstalled, at no cost to participant.
• If I keep the new project charger from the trial, can someone dispose of my old charger – or will I need to arrange that at my own cost?
  If you decide to keep the project charger at the end of the trial and pay the ownership transfer fee, you will have to arrange the disposal of your old charger at your cost.

On top of receiving a free V2G charger worth £5,500 to use for the duration of the trial, there is also a minimum reward of up to the monetary value of £120 available for completion of all trial participation parameters over the one year trial period from June 2021 and ending in June 2022.

This will be split into 12 monthly payment values from £10* pcm with contingencies applied of 15 full charging cycles being completed monthly to be eligible. To be eligible a participant’s EV must be plugged in continuously from 18:00 to 05:00 for a minimum of 15 times per month. If the EV is disconnected at any point during this period, it will not count towards the monthly total of full cycles.

The value of this reward is likely to be higher, which is why the monetary value of £10 is stated as the minimum. CrowdCharge is currently developing propositions with the confirmed 4 energy supplier partners which we are onboarding to the trial and these reward values will be confirmed in the individual energy supplier Proposition documents.

The CrowdCharge platform will also maximise other available revenue streams available to the EV driver once obligations to the network operator have been fulfilled.

*The full details of the ‘reward’ are to be confirmed for each supplier once they have been onboarded. Each eligible participant will receive the minimum reward to the monetary value of £10 per month for the duration of the one year trial. The total reward will be confirmed with our energy supplier partner, but, 12 monthly payments will be made available if the participant meets the monthly criteria. If a participant does not meet the requirements for a month they will miss out on that month’s reward sum. CrowdCharge has the right to change the trial reward and amounts at any point. We will give participants one month’s notice of this.

Note: All pricing subject to change with one month’s notice. Pricing correct as of June 2020.

1. The full details of the ‘reward’ are to be confirmed during summer 2020. Each eligible participant will receive the minimum reward to the monetary value of £10 per month for the duration of the one year trial. The total reward will be confirmed with our energy supplier partner, but, 12 monthly payments will be made available if the participant meets the monthly criteria. If a participant does not meet the requirements for a month they will miss out on that month’s reward sum
2. CrowdCharge has the right to change the trial reward and amounts at any point. We will give participants one month’s notice of this.
3. All pricing subject to change with one month’s notice. Pricing correct as of June 2020.

This will be confirmed in summer 2020 once the 3-5 energy partners are onboard and the reward proposition is finalised. It is likely to be on a rolling monthly basis, this is assuming you have met the minimum participant parameters.

Participants will receive their final reward in June 2022.

We will endeavour to match participants with their preferred energy supplier partner on the project if at all possible, however, to join the project participants accept that CrowdCharge will have the decision about which energy supplier participants are assigned to.

Participants may need to switch energy tariffs to the project partner energy suppliers’ V2G tariffs of the group they are assigned to for the duration of the project. During summer 2020 the project will confirm if this is a participant project requirement.

Participants may need a smart meter installed to participate in the trial. This is dependent on which energy supplier group they are assigned to, and on the V2G service that the energy supplier operates as part of the trial period.

It would be preferential for participants to have a smart meter.

The project will have a further update on smart meter requirements when the energy supplier partners are confirmed in summer 2020.

It is your right to switch as a consumer, so no one can stop you from switching and you should not experience concerns switching energy supplier after the trial. Your new provider should check if your smart meter communicates to their network, or they should install a new one, if required.

Yes, you can still take part. It does not matter how far you are into your EV lease you are, as long as the period left on your leasing agreement goes up to or beyond March 2022.

However, with the announcement of new participant trial dates [in Feb 2021], so running from from June 2021 – June 2022, it is preferred that new applicants have leasing agreements up until at least June 2022 or beyond.

We are not accepting households with more than one EV onto the project at this time.

CrowdCharge has been clarifying if on the project we are technically able to accommodate properties which charge 2 or more EVs. Unfortunately, a decision has been made that at this moment in time, we are unable to offer a project space to households with more than one EV due to the technical and electrical complexities around these charging scenarios.

You are still welcome to apply to the project through the enquiry form in the case the project parameters change – if you then become eligible you application will be reopened and reviewed.

CrowdCharge are going to look at catering to households with multiple EVs in the future, and can confirm this is in the platform development pipeline.

We understand this may be frustrating, but we hope to explore multiple EV households in future and will keep all multiple-EV household applicants in mind should you wish to be contacted if this becomes a possibility.

If a participant leaves, or is asked to leave, before the end of the trial in June 2022 then they will be asked to reimburse a proportion of the installation fee paid on their behalf by the project. The exact amount will be calculated in a tiered format according to the length of time that they participated in the trial, however this could be up to £2000:

• If you leave the project trial on or before 31st August 2021 you will be required to pay an exit fee of £2,000 and the V2G charger will be uninstalled.
• If you leave the project trial on or before 30th November 2021 you will be required to pay an exit fee of £1,000 and the V2G charger will be uninstalled.
• If you leave the project trial on or before the 28th February 2022 you will be required to pay an exit fee of £500 and the V2G charger will be uninstalled.
• If you leave the project trial after 1st March 2022 you will be required to pay an exit fee of £250 and the V2G charger will be uninstalled.
• If you complete the full trial participation requirements, then at the end of the trial in June 2022 you will be eligible to have the ownership of the V2G charger transferred to yourself for a fee of £250, so you will then own the charger.

NOTE: All pricing subject to change without notice. Correct as of June 2020.
If you have any change in circumstances, please contact CrowdCharge and we can discuss these, as we review all exit fees on a case by case basis.

Yes, you can still take part. It does not matter how far you are into your EV lease as long as the period left on your leasing agreement goes up to or beyond March 2022.

To install the V2G charger you’ll need;

• Proof you own or lease an eligible Nissan EV
• Off-street parking
• An external wall for the charger to be mounted

Your property will be assessed as part of the pre-qualification and pre-installation process by the project installer.

You will receive confirmation as to whether the charger can be installed and if you can participate in the trial.

The trial ends in June 2022. You would be expected to participate until the end of the trial. If you leave before the end of the trial, you will be asked to pay an early exit fee and the charger will be uninstalled. The exact amount will be calculated according to the length of time that you participated in the trial and is outlined in the exit fees.

If you move to a new house during the trial, then you can take your charger with you although you will have to pay for CrowdCharge’s V2G-approved installer to move it otherwise this will affect the charger’s warranty. You can then continue to participate in the trial. However, you must check that you are still within the project’s location limits of the WPD area; this includes the Midlands, South Wales and the South West.

Please let CrowdCharge know if you are moving to a new house so that it can keep its records up to date. CrowdCharge will also be able to help you find a qualified installer to move your charge point. Any incurred costs during this process will be solely down to the participant.

If you move before the end of the trial and you will not be continuing participation in the trial, then you are required to let CrowdCharge know and you will be asked to pay an early exit fee. The exact amount will be calculated on a case-by-case basis according to the length of time that you participated in the trial and is outlined in the exit fees.

Having PV panels or any other form of renewable generation at your home will not prevent you participating in the Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid trial, however you will be asked as part of the customer research if you have them installed.

The project is looking to engage with a few household that have Solar PV panels already installed, therefore you could be eligible to be on the trial with the combination of; a V2G charger and solar PV panels. This would be an important dynamic to investigate the relationship and future service offering that could be offered. However, please note that we will not be adjusting the solar generation as part of the trial.

Yes, you can still participate.

Yes, you can. You will need your employer to prove you will be primary driver of this up until March 2022.

However, with the announcement of new participant trial dates [in Feb 2021], so running from from June 2021 – June 2022, it is preferred that new applicants have proof they will be the primary driver of the eligible Nissan EV up until at least June 2022 or beyond.

CrowdCharge will issue a letter template document for your employer to complete.

No, the installer will not be claiming the OLEV grant as part of the installation for the Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid project.

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid recruitment qualification process is a 2 stage application process; we are not asking for immediate commitment.

1st – This is where the applicant applies via the application form (recruitment and qualification of new applications closed in March 2021), and is then initially qualified by CrowdCharge to be likely to be eligible for the project, pending their property electrical layout survey.

If you pass this 1st qualification stage, then the potential participant is sent an Expression of Interest form with initial project terms and conditions. You will not be held accountable to these Terms & Conditions. At this stage, this is simply to make you aware of the Terms & Conditions of the Project and what is required from you as a Project Participant.

By completing the EOI form and returning proof of EV ownership and address documents, the potential participant is happy in principle with the project outline at this stage.

2nd – Once we have confirmation of the specific tariff offers for the project from energy suppliers, we will inform relevant potential participants – you will have the opportunity to consider whether this is suitable for your circumstances, and whether to accept a place on these terms. At any point you may decide to discontinue your application.