Innovative vehicle-to-grid trials in London

In order to tackle air pollution in the city, the Mayor of London is working to increase the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). However, as a result of an anticipated increase in the amount of EV charging, it is likely that London will experience an increase in the demand for electricity during peak times. Therefore, the Mayor of London has launched a number of projects to support flexible EV charging in the city in order to reduce the pressure on the electricity grid.

One of these projects is E-Flex, a vehicle-to-grid charging project that views EV batteries as two-way sources of energy. The project uses chargers which can both charge EVs and make use of any unused electricity storage in their batteries when the vehicle is not in use.

This stored energy can be used to power buildings or can be sold back to the grid, so helping businesses to save money on their energy bills. It is hoped that making EVs cheaper to operate, through powering them in this way, will contribute to an increased uptake of EVs across London, bringing improvements in air quality. The project also aims to contribute towards the Mayor of London’s aims for the city to be zero carbon by 2050, which will involve shifting the entire transport system to zero-emission vehicles.

To date, two fleet operators based in the city have signed up to E-Flex, Fruit 4 London and Gnewt. Gnewt, an all-electric last-mile delivery company operating 70 EVs in the capital, was the latest operator to join the project. Through becoming involved in E-Flex, Gnewt aims to reduce its dependence on the grid during peak times by drawing on a scalable solution which can help to support the company's operations as its fleet continues to grow. 

For more information on the project, please visit the project webpage.