UK to fund two-way charging technology to turn EVs into power plants

LONDON: The UK is providing funding for the development of two-way charging technologies that could turn electric vehicles into backup power sources and help the country meet its climate goals.

The government awarded £4.8 million (RM28mil) to four UK projects working on so-called vehicle-to-everything systems, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said in a statement on Wednesday.

The technology enables consumers to charge cars when electricity costs are low and then use the energy to run appliances at home when prices are higher.

Unlike a conventional electric vehicle charging system that only takes power from the grid, bidirectional charging also allows the network to tap the energy stored in the vehicles.

By being able to access the electricity in millions of EV batteries, the grid can avoid the use of fossil-fuel power stations to balance the grid when demand spikes.

The funding awards come as the government faces repeated calls from industry to address the country’s energy grid limitations.

Ministers expect demand for electricity to double by 2035 amid the increasing electrification of road transport and domestic heating, which will require more generation and investment in network upgrades.

Official support for the bidirectional charging technologies is intended to help aid the delivery of net zero emissions in the UK by 2050. Britain has also committed to ending the sale of all new non-zero emission vehicles by 2035.