Renault pioneers with vehicle-to-grid charging

Groupe Renault starts piloting the first large-scale vehicle-to-grid charging in electric vehicles in the Netherlands and in Portugal. 

The alternating-current technology of the Groupe Renault will place the reversible charger inside vehicles, hence easing vehicle-to-grid charging. The only adaptation needed will be an ‘inexpensive’ adaptation of the existing charging terminals, to allow the alternating-current to flow from car to grid. 

The chosen on-board technology must optimize the cost of recharging stations in order to facilitate a large-scale development in the long-term. 

Take-off in Utrecht

This year, in 2019, fifteen Renault Zoe cars with vehicle-to-grid charging will be deployed in Europe. The pilot must lay the groundwork for the future standards of Renault’s vehicle-to-grid program. 
The first ones will be deployed in Utrecht (Netherlands) and on Porto Santo Island (Portugal). Later on, ore pilot schemes will be introduced in France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. 

From pilot to pioneer

Renault is already a leading EV player with its Renault Zoe as the 2nd  best-selling EV in Europe last year – behind the Nissan Leaf. With the vehicle-to-grid charging, Groupe Renault wants to establish another key pillar of its smart electric ecosystems and take that leadership a step further.

Moreover, Renault’s leading position in the EV market could serve the overall energy transition. The vehicle-to-grid technology can turn EVs into energy storage units, who give electricity on peak-demand, and take electricity on off-hours, hence countering the intermittency of renewable energy supplied electricity. The result is both greener and cheaper energy for the consumers and cost-savings with regards to the infrastructure. 

From pilot to key player

This pilot projects must lay the groundwork for Renault’s future offering in vehicle-to-grid charging. In particular, the projects would measure large-scale feasibility, potential gains, and gain insights with regards to common standards (eying an industrial-scale roll-out), regulatory frameworks of a mobile energy-storage scheme, the value of services provided for the local and national electricity grid, and to underline the advantages of an onboard solution in EVs. 

As a result, the vehicle-to-grid pilot project of Groupe Renault could turn the company into a key player in the energy transition, providing its drivers with green and cheap energy.