Lowering your emissions

through innovation in transport

and energy infrastructure

Lowering your emissions

through innovation in transport
and energy infrastructure

PROJECT

REPORT
CT
An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid
ChargingPROJECT
for Electric Vehicles Cenex Insight - August 2022
 An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles

Bi-Directional Charging
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is a system whereby plug-in It can therefore offer flexibility to manage peaks and
electric vehicles (EV), when connected to a V2G troughs in supply and demand as the energy system
charger, can provide bi-directional flows of energy transitions to distributed renewable sources, and
and data so the battery can charge, store and transport transitions to electric.
discharge electricity when necessary.
After conceptualisation as early as 1997, and the first
By controlling the power and timing of charging and compatible EV (the Nissan LEAF) sold in 2010, V2G
discharging of the vehicle battery, customers can found a niche following the 2011 Tõhoku earthquake,
optimise the electric resources available. tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster to provide
back-up power to affected buildings.
The term V2G typically refers to any bi-directional
charging and discharging of EVs, though there is At this time the EV industry was in its infancy.
also a specific use case for grid connections. However research and trials since 2016 have
shown the capabilities, benefits and limitations of
Historically, energy systems have relied on supply- the technology as more EVs take to the road.
side changes to balance supply and demand.
However, V2G can act as demand (consuming V2G is still in its trial phase, but R&D projects by
electricity) and generation (producing electricity), Cenex suggest it is close to mass market rollout.
and store electricity in an EV battery for when it is
needed most. This document gives a brief overview of the
technology and summarises some of the findings
Commercial vehicle fleets with clear, predictable usage patterns, or where from Cenex’s V2G portfolio.
they have low utilisation, are ideal for providing V2G services.

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An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles

System Architecture Communications

V2G systems have two distinct system architectures, There are three key sub-systems within the V2G There are two interfaces used for V2G control: the EVSE to CPO control
either AC or DC, which determines where the power eco-system, as follows: local interface between the chargepoint and the For many of the use cases for V2G, the EVSE
electronics are located. The vehicle: comprising EV Charge Controller vehicle, and then a remote interface between the responds to remote instructions from the CPO to
(EVCC); On-board Charger (OBC); Battery chargepoint and the CPO. charge or discharge.
In a DC V2G system, the rectification for charging Management System (BMS); Battery Energy
and inversion for discharging is performed in the Storage System (BESS) EVSE to EV control The key standard for communications between the
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), possible The chargepoint: known as Electric Vehicle Supply For V2G, the communications between the EVSE EVSE and the CPO in conventional EV charging
via the CHAdeMO protocol, which is used by a Equipment (EVSE), this includes a Supply Equipment and EV require information to control discharging, is the Open Chargepoint Protocol (OCPP), which
limited number of vehicles, typically from Japanese Charge Controller (SECC) as well as charging. defines the messaging structure to be exchanged
manufacturers (Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi Outlander). The chargepoint operator (CPO): operates software between the EVSE and the CPO’s software system
that communicates with the EVSE to instruct charges The ISO 15118-20 standard includes the transfer of – known as the chargepoint management system
The CHAdeMO protocol is largely expected to be and discharges. messages necessary to control bi-directional power (CPMS).
superseded by CCS for the European market once transfer. These include a proposed charging and
bi-directional standards are implemented within the discharging schedule, sent by the EVSE to the EV, OCPP Version 2.0.1 implemented a number of added
CCS system, planned for 2025. and in return a power profile, calculated by the EV. and improved functionalities, including support for
the ISO 15118-20 standard.
By comparison, AC V2G shifts the power electronics Its adoption by EVSE and EV manufacturers
on to the vehicle where the rectification and inversion facilitates bi-directional charging using existing Other V2G manufacturers may choose to act as the
for charging and discharging happens ‘on-board’ the hardware standards such as Type 2 for AC V2G and CPO and use their own proprietary CPMS to control
EV (Renault Zoe, Hyundai Ioniq 5). CCS for DC V2G, and removes a significant barrier charging and discharging.
to the widespread use of V2G.

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An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles

Use Cases Value Propositions

There are three main applications for using an EV Where sites have renewable energy generation Cenex has identified five key value propositions to polluting back-up generators. In the US, V2G-
with bi-directional charging capabilities: installed, such as solar panels, V2B can be used to which can be used to market V2G following a review enabled school buses were used to provide power
charge and store excess energy in the EV battery of nine European projects: following blackouts caused by wildfires.
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and discharge it to meet demand when generation
This is specifically where electricity is discharged drops. Revenue generation Enhanced Battery Management
from the vehicle and enters the wider electricity V2G allows customers to use an EV as an energy Preserving the health of an EV’s lithium-ion battery is
network, directly or via a building or site. This use case also has applications in periods of storage asset for financial reward by discharging to vital. Limiting battery degradation can be realised by
power outages, when the EV can supply energy the grid or premises during expensive peak times maintaining an acceptable capacity and power over
As the price of electricity varies from hour to hour stored in the battery to the building. and charging during cheaper periods. Study results its lifetime, prolonging its usable lifetime. EV-elocity
and day to day, vehicle-to-grid technology means it vary, but the EV-elocity project reports commercial found that V2G could extend the life of an EV battery
is possible to buy electricity for charging when it is Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) users could save £400 per vehicle per year. by about 10% (around one extra year of use).
cheap (for example overnight) and then sell it back In this instance, an EV that is V2L capable will be
when it is expensive (for example early evening), for able to provide power from the vehicle as an auxiliary Personal Net Zero Benefit to Society
a profit. service and transforms the EV into a mobile power V2G allows users to optimise self-consumption Mass V2G deployment can deliver widescale
supply. of energy generated by on-site renewable energy environmental and societal benefits. Based on
Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) technologies such as solar PV panels. The EV battery avoiding curtailment of renewable generation alone,
This use case discharges electricity from the vehicle This can be useful when there is no grid electricity can charge at peak generation, and discharge it to this could equate to savings of 6 megatonnes of
into the building, but not the wider network, to available, such as network failures or in remote the premises in place of grid electricity. CO2e per year, and avoided network upgrade costs
manage energy demand. locations. could equate to approximately £180 per household,
Resilience meaning lower bills and improved quality of life.
V2B can offset expensive electricity for the building V2G could be used to provide resilience in areas
by discharging the EV at peak times. susceptible to power outages, or as an alternative

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An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles

Barriers Market Readiness

Financial business case As the electrification of transport takes off, policies V2G technology is still in its early phases of In 2019 Cenex published an analysis of V2G market
V2G prices have dropped dramatically since 2017, need to adapt to keep pace with innovation so that development and is only likely to achieve commercial readiness, considering markets at a country level.
when hardware cost between £10-15k per unit. they do not create unintended barriers. readiness for CHAdeMo around 2025, and for CCS
and AC chargers around 2030. It shows that the UK and France are currently the lead
But it is not the actual cost of a V2G unit that is Compatibility markets for V2G, with strong emerging opportunities
important, so much as the relative cost difference The first generation of V2G units have used a DC For V2G there are four main measures to assess for in Germany, Japan, Canada, USA and China.
between a V2G unit and a smart charger. This is CHAdeMO connector, while Europe developed CCS market readiness. These are:
called the ‘V2G premium’ which represents the DC charging, which has only just started public V2G > Total size of the automotive market There is a particularly strong opportunity in China,
‘added value’ of V2G technology. trials. There may also be a case for AC V2G systems > Current EV uptake rate due to the number of vehicles and rate of EV uptake,
with additional hardware installed on the vehicle. > Existing deployment level of EVSE and if changes are made to enable trading of
Based on analysis from V2G trials, the V2G premium > Availability of flexibility services flexibility, then this would quickly become the main
would need to be less than £2,000 for the technology Additionally, there are still a limited number of market opportunity for V2G.
to be acceptable to the mass market. The V2G compatible vehicles. For the industry to really thrive,
Britain report suggests that the premium over an it is essential that vehicle manufactureres get on Due to the use of CHAdeMO across Asia, it is likely
equivalent smart charger is expected to reduce to board. that Japan, then China, will become the first countries
between £656 and £1,164 by 2030 to reach commercial-scale around 2025–2030.

Policy Other lead/emerging markets such as UK, France,

Historically, policy has shied away from being Germany, Canada and the USA are expected to
technology specific but is often developed based follow once V2G is established within the CCS
on existing technologies, and therefore can create charging protocol – leading to commercial-scale
barriers as new technologies develop. V2G activities around 2030–2035.

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An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles An Introduction to Vehicle-to-Grid Charging for Electric Vehicles

V2G in the Real World - EV-elocity Further Reading

EV-elocity was an R&D project that demonstrated A second site, the Nottingham City Council’s EV-elocity 1

Lowering your emissions

A Fresh Look at V2G Value Propositions 1

Lowering your emissions

Project Sciurus Trial Insights 1

V2G across different applications within the UK. It Eastcroft Depot, which was cost optimised, saved through innovation in transport
and energy infrastructure
through innovation in transport
and energy infrastructure

deployed 15 V2G chargepoints across nine sites. over £2,000 across the fleet of 20 EVs. A Fresh Look at V2G
Project Sciurus Trial Insights:
Value Propositions
The University of Nottingham Hallward Library was This site had a simple two rate tariff applied (16p/ Project Final Report June 2020
Findings from 300 Domestic
V2G Units in 2020
one such site. It operates from 8am to 2am most of kWh weekdays 6am-10pm, 12p/kWh at other times), JUNE 2022

the time, maintaining a high energy demand for at so savings were made by charging during the off- Simple customer
Platform to aggregate
and optimise V2G units
Vehicle-to-Grid Charging
least 18 hours every day. The headquarters of the peak periods, then discharging and offsetting some
proposition

>320 V2G Units

installed in homes
throughout the UK >750MWh
Customer App
keeping the customer for Electric Cars -
fleet participating in the V2G trial are located in this of the site demand during peak periods.
in control of charging
of energy offset
through V2G
FutureLearn Course
building and a Nichicon V2G charger was installed www.futurelearn.com/
on the 5th of May 2021. The first UK
manufactured
Significant V2G
hardware cost
courses/everything-you-need-
to-know-about-vehicle-to-grid-
V2G chargepoint reduction

charging
The vehicle connecting to this charger was a Nissan Lowering your emissions through innovation
in transport and energy infrastructure May 2021

e-nv200 from the University fleet, mainly used EV-elocity Project Final A Fresh Look at V2G Value Project Sciurus Trial
between 7am and 7pm. This vehicle was also used Report Propositions Insights
from time to time during night time depending on the www.cenex.co.uk/app/ www.cenex.co.uk/app/ www.cenex.co.uk/app/
fleet demand. uploads/2022/06/EV-elocity- uploads/2020/06/Fresh-Look- uploads/2021/05/Sciurus-
Final-Report_published.pdf at-V2G-Value-Propositions. Trial-Insights.pdf
pdf
The chargepoint was optimised for carbon as part of V2G Hub
the trial, and was able to save 305kg of carbon over www.v2g-hub.com/
one year, with cost savings of £81.

See more of Cenex’s reports and projects on V2G at www.cenex.co.uk

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 Lowering your emissions
through innovation in transport
and energy infrastructure

Find more free-to-access resources and reports at

www.cenex.co.uk/resources

Cenex

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Email: [email protected]
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