CAR EXPLAINS
Halve running costs on Renault’s new 5 by selling electricity to the grid.
What if electric cars could supply electricity back to the national grid, instead of only ever plugging in to draw power for driving? That’s the simple concept of vehi-cle-to-grid (V2G, or bi-directional) charging and it’s a capability that’s being rolled out on next-gen models such as the Kia EV9 and 2024 Renault 5.
‘Three things are essential for V2G,’ says Alain Thoral, of Renault’s sustainable mobility subsidiary Mobilize. ‘A bi-directional charger in the vehicle, a bi-directional wall-box and an electricity contract to monetise V2G.’
Vehicle-to-grid is already well-established in Japan, where electrified cars are considered storage batteries on wheels and have been used to power homes and critical infrastructure when natural disasters cause outages.
But next-gen V2G will turn this into an ‘always on’ con-cept – and an earner for owners of bi-directional EVs. A smart electricity grid will be able to draw power from plugged-in cars during times of high demand (early evening, say) or when weather conditions are unfavoura-ble for solar or wind.
Formidable AI software will orchestrate whether your bi-directional car should be charging or supplying elec-tricity by communicating with the car, understanding the grid’s requirements, and knowing your next departure time and how much charge you’ll need (set by app).
The 5 will have bi-directional plumbing and cur-rent-management software as standard, and Renault vows the 5’s warranty will be the same as a non-V2G car’s despite the additional battery charging and discharging.
And the financial benefit of selling electricity is an in-centive to sign up. Renault reckons the amount of energy Mobilize’s 7.4kW AC Powerbox can supply will equate to a 50 per cent charging
