Introducing vehicle-to-grid

What if we could use the batteries in electric cars and vans to store energy while they're idle, and then use it when and where we really need it? With vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G, you can use this stored energy to feed back into your business, saving you money and reducing a reliance on fossil fuel power stations.

If there was ever a time to switch to electric vehicles (EV), it's now. The shift away from fossil-fuelled vehicles is inevitable, with the approaching ban on selling new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. More and more businesses are switching their fleets to electric, but we need to think about the extra pressure this will put on the power grid.

So, we're looking at new and smarter ways to boost the grid without relying so much on fossil fuels.

Working with Nissan, we've developed a V2G technology platform that will help businesses and the public sector to better manage - and make better use of - their EV fleets.

Charging a car or van is simple, plug it in and wait for the battery to fill up. V2G does that but it also works in the opposite way too - using the battery in the car as a supplementary power source to feed back into a building or into the power grid. So at times of peak energy demand, while an EV is connected to a V2G charger, the network can draw energy from the vehicle battery into the electricity grid, homes or businesses. That means there's less need to fire up a power station to meet the demand. Alongside that, during off-peak hours, when electricity is generally cheaper and more likely to be generated from renewable sources, the vehicle canbe charged up again ready for use in the morning.

Whether a business has a small or large fleet, V2G helps towards creating a sustainable, smarter, future-proofed grid that helps balance supply and demand. This can save businesses money, as well as reducing the amount of energy needing to be drawn from fossil fuel power stations.

This is just one way that we're helping businesses become cleaner, greener and more environmentally friendly, as well as lowering their running costs.

Find out more about V2G.