Skip to main content

Renault begins large-scale V2G trials in Europe

Renault is trialling large-scale pilot schemes in Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging for electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe. The company says a fleet of 15 Zoe vehicles with V2G charging will be introduced over the course of 2019 to help lay the groundwork for future standards. V2G, also called reversible charging, modulates the charging and discharging of EV batteries between the users’ needs and the grid’s supply of available electricity, the company adds. The pilot schemes are currently taking place in
April 4, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

2453 Renault is trialling large-scale pilot schemes in Vehicle to Grid (V2G) charging for electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe.

The company says a fleet of 15 Zoe vehicles with V2G charging will be introduced over the course of 2019 to help lay the groundwork for future standards.

V2G, also called reversible charging, modulates the charging and discharging of EV batteries between the users’ needs and the grid’s supply of available electricity, the company adds.

The pilot schemes are currently taking place in the Netherlands city of Utrecht, in collaboration with electric driving company We Drive Solar, and on Porto Santo Island in Madeira, Portugal, with energy supplier Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira.

More trials will follow in France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark.

Gilles Normand, Renault’s director of electric vehicles, says: “We have chosen onboard technology that also optimises the cost of recharging stations and thus facilitate a large-scale development.”

The pilot schemes are expected to help the company underline the technical and economic advantages of an onboard solution in EVs, while demonstrating the value of services provided for the local and national electricity grid, such as encouraging consumption of solar and wind energy, checking the grid’s frequency or tension and reducing infrastructure costs.

Related Content

  • November 6, 2019
    Gnewt to trial V2G tech to power EV fleet
    A London-based parcel delivery service is to trial Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology to help power 70 electric vehicles (EVs). Gnewt by Menzies Distribution intends to use V2G to explore the ability of EVs releasing energy back to the grid when not in use. The trial is part of a Cisco-led project called E-Flex which aims to demonstrate how V2G can help reduce the demand EVs put on energy networks. Gnewt’s founder Sam Clarke says: “Through E-Flex, we’re able to sustainably carry on with our day-to-day op
  • December 3, 2018
    EVs & smart cities: Tritium keeps things moving
    Electric vehicles are widely expected to play a major role in the smarter, cleaner cities of the future. Paul Sernia explains why – and looks at the place of ultra-rapid chargers as part of a versatile public infrastructure Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely expected to play a major role in the smarter, cleaner cities of the future. With no dirty tailpipe, EVs can help improve the polluted air of inner cities. And when deployed as widely shared assets – through car clubs, ride-sharing services and taxi
  • May 17, 2012
    Future EV owners can make money from the power grid
    In what is being claimed as a landmark research report published by Ricardo and National Grid in the UK, the market potential is demonstrated for an electric plug-in vehicle fleet of the future to provide balancing services to the power grid on a commercial basis, returning value to vehicle owners while improving the carbon efficiency of grid operation.
  • October 2, 2018
    Shock therapy: jolt for EV charging needed
    As sales of electric vehicles accelerate, the growth of charging infrastructure is in need of a big boost. Graham Anderson reports on whether Europe is up to it. Utilities, technology companies and vehicle manufacturers are battling to put in place new charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs) across Europe in response to a predicted dramatic surge in demand. Market experts believe that rapidly falling battery costs – which make up about one third of the costs of an electric car – and growing