Plymouth City Council in the UK is set to implement a pilot project testing the use of vehicle to grid (V2G) capability with its EV fleet.
The council has partnered with Cisco to trial its E-Flex demonstration project, which will implement V2G technology in the council’s six Nissan Leaf EVs.
Each car will be fitted with a bidirectional charger, which allows vehicles to draw electrical charge from the energy grid and then return unused electricity back to the grid when the vehicle is not in use.
Maria Hernandez, head of innovation at Cisco UK and Ireland, said: “As we are seeing in the private sector, now more than ever before, it’s crucial for towns and cities to align their future goals with sustainable industry and a plan to reduce carbon emissions.
“With the potential to transform the way urban areas consume energy, V2G technology is a win-win for council fleets, business fleets and public sector services alike.”
Plymouth City Council has set a target of achieving carbon neutrality throughout the city by 2030 and is working towards driving private investment in sustainable initiatives, as well as engendering a future collaboration between Plymouth University and private businesses with the aim of developing a sustainable innovation hub in the city.
Dan Turner, Plymouth City Council’s low carbon city officer, said: “Plymouth is a particularly strained part of the grid, with Cornwall generating a lot of renewable energy but delivering this further up the country at times of high demand.
“For businesses to grow, we need to find new ways to support their energy consumption whilst reducing connection costs across the city, so the V2G concept appeals to us from a grid management perspective as well as a commercial one.”
The trial partners include Cenex, Nuvve, the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Imperial College London and the E-Car Club.
E-Flex is part of a competition funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in partnership with Innovate UK.
