E-Flex vehicle-to-grid trial
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is working hard to increase the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) to help improve the capital’s toxic air. More EVs being driven and charged up in London could increase demand for electricity, particularly at peak times. To reduce pressure on the energy grid, the Mayor is working on projects to support flexible and smart EV charging.
Vehicle-to-grid charging
The Mayor is working with partners on E-Flex, a vehicle-to-grid charging project that re-thinks EV batteries as a two-way energy source. It uses special ‘bi-directional’ chargers that can not only charge an EV but also make smart use of unused electricity stored in the battery when the vehicle is stationary. This stored surplus energy can be used to power buildings or can be sold back into the grid when it’s needed most, helping businesses save money on energy bills.
This flexible way of powering vehicles is likely to make EVs cheaper to operate and help increase uptake across the capital. The result will be cleaner air for everyone. It will also help with the Mayor’s aims for London to become a zero carbon city, with its entire transport system zero emission by 2050.
Participating companies
So far two London-based fleet operators have signed up to E-Flex. Read more about their businesses and why they have opted to be a part of the V2G charging trial.
Fruit 4 London
Fleet operators wanted
To kick off E-Flex we’re looking for commercial EV fleet operators to partner with. Vehicle-to-grid charging technology will be provided to fleets for free along with the customer support required to get it up and running.
Compatible vehicle models include: Nissan Leaf, Nissan e-NV200 and Mitsubishi Outlander.
Project partners
E-Flex is part-funded by Innovate UK and is a collaboration between the following partners: