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 15, 2022
    Asecap: get ready to rethink everything you know
    How can we make our infrastructure ready for new sustainability challenges? What kind of investments are needed? And who will finance them? Tolling association Asecap has some thoughts. Geoff Hadwick reports from Lisbon
  • July 17, 2012
    Charging station infrastructure boost to electric vehicle use
    The first section of a planned network of stations for charging electric vehicles – the West Coast Electric Highway – opened in March, promising a welcome boost to the environment and economy of Oregon. Pete Goldin reports What should come first, the electric vehicle or the charging station? This dilemma has been hindering proliferation of ‘EVs’ in the US for years. Without a widespread and reliable infrastructure of charging stations, the American public is not likely to adopt EVs en masse. This may all b
  • January 23, 2020
    Timing is everything for EV charging
    Electric vehicles are often promoted as a more sustainable alternative to diesel and petrol cars - but their arrival raises concerns about the strain which charging will put on the grid.
  • July 14, 2016
    Colas to trial solar road
    UK highways services provider Colas is set to start trialling its innovative solar road solution, Wattway and is in the process of identifying potential sites with clients interested in the photovoltaic road surfacing. According to Colas, the technology provides clean, renewable energy in the form of electricity, while allowing for all types of road traffic. Installed on top of an existing road surface, the solar panels are extremely lightweight and strong. Designed and tested to endure vehicles co