An electric car charging trial in Milton Keynes has revealed that electricity networks can cope with charging more EVs if new technologies, including vehicle-to-grid devices are used.
On behalf of Milton Keynes Council, electric vehicle charging management firm CrowdCharge conducted the Domestic Energy Balancing EV Charging trial.
Electric vehicle drivers in Milton Keynes trialled smart charges and vehicle to grid charges over a year, with the project also including households with solar panels installed.
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) chargers work by transferring energy between the grid and the user’s home and back again.
This allows for vehicles to be programmed to charge when prices and carbon levels are low and can send power back to the grid to be sold when demand is high.
The trial revealed that the combination of different technologies has the potential to reduce the load on the grid from charging EVs when used in conjunction with smart charging and battery energy management platforms.
The project also showed the potential for EV owners to save money on energy costs. By the end of the trial, charge cycles for some owners were at least 40% cheaper than unmanaged charging.
Participants with V2G chargers were sometimes able to reduce their charging costs to zero by charging at cheap times then powering their homes at expensive times.
CrowdCharge says the participants saved a combined £2242 during the trial.
During the trial, EV owners using V2G technology with solar panels were able to lower their carbon emissions by at least 25%.
The peak evening demand for energy disappeared for V2G users as they were running their homes through their electric cars during peak hours, therefore reducing the impact on the National Grid.
CrowdCharge says that the project will help the electricity industry “better manage the peaks in electricity demand” caused by an increase in EVs being charged at home.
“We’ve shown that different technologies can help prevent local electricity networks being overloaded, but the key is the intelligent management of such technologies,” said Mike Potter, CEO of CrowdCharge.
“Successfully integrating these systems can mean that electric vehicle drivers can benefit from greener energy as well as energy cost savings.”
CrowdCharge is now offering its energy optimisation services that were trialled during the project and has V2G users on its platform. The firm says that EV drivers with the V2G devices are saving money on energy bills, especially when using energy created by solar panels.
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