The Government has backed new charging technologies that could help families use their electric vehicle batteries to power homes and cut back on household bills.
New funding has been announced to support four projects to develop and implement “vehicle-to-everything” (V2X) technologies.
Bidirectional charging technology could help families to charge their cars when electricity costs are at their lowest and use it in their homes at peak times when prices are higher.
Households and businesses could make further profit from the scheme by selling electricity from their vehicles back to the grid.
Electric car drivers could sell the electricity back to the grid
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The £4.8million boost will support work testing for four companies – Hangar19, 3ti Energy Hubs, Otaski Energy Solutions and Electric Green Limited.
The Government said it would also help the UK lessen its reliance on fossil fuels and rely more heavily on renewable technologies like solar panels.
Businesses will be able to benefit from the V2X technology by storing electricity in their fleets of EVs and using it to power their operations at a later date.
Amanda Solloway, Minister for Affordability and Skills, said: “The prospect of families being able to store energy on their doorstep in electric vehicles and use it to power their homes is incredibly exciting.
“This is exactly the sort of ingenuity and creativity that makes the UK one of the world’s most innovative nations.
“By backing this technology, we could save families hundreds of pounds a year, while also supporting jobs, investment and growth.”
Some major car brands are already making vehicles that have the hardware to send electricity back to the grid including Ford, Renault and Rivian.
The companies receiving money will help further the EV transition around the country, with businesses based in Chelmsford, Leatherhead, Gateshead and London.
Anthony Browne, Transport Minister for Technology and Decarbonisation, said the scheme would have a huge impact on drivers and support the charging network.
He said: “We’re continuing to support drivers, and this innovative new development is the next step in levelling-up our charging technology, which will benefit many households across the country.
“This Government has already spent over £2billion in the transition to electric vehicles and our charging network is growing at pace, with 44 per cent more public charge points than this time last year, meaning drivers can charge more easily than before.”
This follows the Government’s £70million pilot scheme to boost the number of EV charging stations at motorway services, as announced at the COP28 climate conference.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced 10 new trial sites in England will benefit from an improved electrical network capacity.
These service stations will have a portion of the costs to upgrade covered by the Government, with the stations expected to have multiple rapid and ultra-rapid EV chargers.
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Four companies will share the £4.8million funding boost
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Mark Harper said: “This Government is on the side of drivers and working with the private sector to provide robust charge point infrastructure is part of our Plan for Drivers, with today’s announcement paving the way for more ultra-rapid charge points.”