Groupe Renault is beginning the first vehicle-to-grid charging on a large scale.

It works by modulating the charging and discharging of electric vehicle batteries in accordance with users’ needs and the grid’s supply of available electricity. Charging reaches its maximum level when the electricity supply exceeds demand, notably during peaks in production of renewable energy. But vehicles are also capable of injecting electricity into the grid during peaks in consumption. Electric vehicles can therefore serve units of temporary energy storage and become key drivers in the development of renewable energy.

In this way, the electricity grid optimises the supply of local renewable energy and reduces infrastructure costs. At the same time, customers enjoy greener, more economical consumption of electricity and are financially rewarded for serving the electricity grid, best of all it places the reversible charger inside vehicles, so it just requires a simple, inexpensive adaptation of the existing charging terminals.

A fleet of fifteen Zoe vehicles with vehicle-to-grid charging will be introduced in Europe over the course of this year with the aim to measure large-scale feasibility and potential gains. In particular, these pilot schemes will help Group Renault to underline the technical and economic advantages of an on-board solution in electric vehicles; demonstrate the value of services provided for the local and national electricity grid; work on the regulatory frameworks of a mobile energy-storage scheme; and establish common standards for an industrial-scale roll-out.

To find out more about Renault’s undertaking in electric mobility, visit their website easyelectriclife