Funding for EVs to help power homes and businesses

Funding for EVs to help power homes and businesses

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Zapmap
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Technology to help people power their homes from an EV has been boosted by almost £30 million of investment from the UK Government today (Monday 12th February).

The announcement of funding for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies comes through the government’s Industrial Strategy, and will support 21 projects with backing for research, design, and development.

The aim is to help develop and trial V2G technology to expand its reach amongst electric vehicle owners. The technology is available and supported by a few companies, but the V2G industry is still in its infancy.

Scheme’s such as EDF Energy’s V2GO scheme will show how energy stored in an EV’s battery could be used during peak demand when the vehicle is plugged in. It can then be recharged during off-peak times, helping balance the load on the National Grid.

The UK’s electric grid has significant capacity for a large-scale switch to electric vehicles, but not during peak times. Grid operators are looking at ways to make it smarter to prevent the requirement for high cost investment in upgrading networks.

The use of electric vehicles is a potential solution to a ‘problem’ they might create, with V2G technology using the vehicle to support the home it is plugged in to.

The V2GO project is a trial involving 100 electric fleet vehicles – both cars and vans – in Oxford. It will include a number of organisations such as taxi operators and delivery companies, that have gone electric to help reduce fuel costs and improve local air quality.

Set-up by EDF Energy, the University of Oxford, Oxfordshire County Council, Arrival, EO Charging, Upside Energy, and Fleet Innovation, the E2GO scheme is one of a number of projects awarded funding. Others include names such as SSE, Nissan, OVO Energy, Octopus Energy, and Cisco, with all government funding covering up to 70% of project costs.