EDF to offer V2G EV charging to fleets

EDF Energy has collaborated with Nuvve to provide Vehicle to Grid (V2G) smart charging to fleet operators.

V2G chargers can help businesses generate revenues from electric vehicles (EVs) by selling electricity back to grid at peak times – potentially saving hundreds of pounds per vehicle a year.

The company plans to offer up to 1,500 V2G chargers to its business customers in the UK.

The chargers will provide enough additional energy storage capacity to power 4,000 homes.

Stored electricity will be made available for sale on the energy markets or for supporting grid flexibility at times of peak energy use.

“With 55 percent of new vehicles coming on to the road through businesses, they will play a key role in the transition to electric transport.  Through this partnership with Nuvve, we are investing in smart technologies that will help our business customers electrify their fleets in a cost effective way and support the UK’s ambition for clean growth,” said Beatrice Bigois, managing director of Customers at EDF Energy.

Smart charging is expected to play a significant role in balancing the grid as the country moves towards wider adoption of EVs. V2G chargers allow a two-way flow of electricity between an EV and the charger, representing a potentially valuable opportunity to further enhance the electricity system benefits of EVs through provision of large volumes of cheap storage and flexibility.

Using the V2G chargers, EVs give unused electricity back to the charger for customers to either use the energy themselves, send it back to the grid, or to participate in energy markets, providing savings on energy costs and generating additional revenues.

Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said: “Thanks to government investment, we are a world leader in vehicle-to-grid technology which can help balance our energy needs and bring about a smarter, more flexible energy system as part of our modern Industrial Strategy.

“These 1,500 electric chargers will provide much needed green infrastructure for businesses as they seize the opportunities of the electric vehicle revolution, reducing running costs, improving air quality and unlocking the capability to store energy which can be transmitted back into the grid when it’s needed most.”

EDF Group and NUVVE have signed a strategic partnership agreement with a view to forming a joint venture to develop these solutions in Europe.