Octopus Energy is rolling out the UK’s first domestic vehicle-to-grid charging trial

A UK challenger energy firm is hoping to kickstart a revolution in the energy industry with a new consortium aimed at trialling the first domestic vehicle-to-grid charging on a large scale.

Octopus Energy will roll out vehicle-to-grid charging technology to electric car drivers in London this year following a £3m funding injection by the government agency Innovate UK.

Through the £7m project, Octopus will install 135 chargers, enabling research into the impact of widespread electric vehicle rollout on the UK’s electricity grid.

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The use of domestic electric car batteries is hoped to increase flexibility on the grid. By using a two-way charger, electric vehicles can act as battery packs for the grid, offering an answer to the debate around intermittent forms of renewable energy.

Ian Cameron, head of innovation at UK Power Networks explained: “Electric vehicles are effectively energy sources on wheels, so there are tremendous opportunities to explore how electricity networks can use any spare capacity in those batteries to benefit our customers.

“In the future you could use your car battery to power your house or earn money by selling its spare energy back into the network at peak times, and all of this whilst ensuring you have enough energy for your next day’s commute.”

Fiona Howarth, the chief executive of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “There has been a lot of talk from the sidelines about how vehicle-to-grid technology will change the face of energy, but with this consortium we will be the first in the UK to actually deliver it to hundreds of households.”

UK Power Networks, ChargePoint Services, Open Energi, Energy Saving Trust and Navigant are also involved in the consortium.

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