Adding energy to V2G installs with OVO’s expertise

OVO Energy has a long history in V2G. It launched to the residential market in 2019 when it ran the UK’s first large-scale domestic V2G trial, Project Sciurus.

Alex explained the collaboration between OVO, Indra, Nissan and Cenex. “We installed 330 V2G units. We’ve still got customers on the tariff today,” he revealed. “So much was learned in those years: how people’s energy use changed in lockdown, how many people an installation needs, and much more.”

Alex said that V2G customers plug in their EVs for 50% longer than V1G users – who have unidirectional charging from grid to vehicle only – because of the incentives the tariff offers them.

OVO and its partners Kaluza, Indra and Volkswagen Group gleaned more information from a follow-up project called Inflexion. V2G on an even bigger scale is called V2X, or “Vehicle-to-Everything”. Alex said the project collaborators were surprised to discover in a wide-ranging consumer survey that 20% of people are keen to choose V2X – even if they aren’t necessarily given a price or proposition about what to expect from the service.

Of course, V2G won’t get far if the market can’t meet growing demand. At present, Alex said, cars and energy suppliers like OVO are raring to go but face roadblocks due to hardware specs constantly changing. “Because of that, suppliers are reluctant to build solutions for installers,” he added. “But standard specs are coming. Once we can bundle AC or DC hardware there will be a momentum shift.”

Creating attractive price points and services for domestic users is another crucial element of growing V2G at scale. “We can offer incentives such as V2G Hour,” Alex continued. “Customers get more money back depending on how many hours they hook up their EV to the charger. Then they can trade energy as it discharges from the vehicle back to the grid after their home has taken what’s needed.”

He concluded: “With V2G we will be able to monitor carbon savings as well as the monetary savings for consumers. It’s going to be a game changer. This is the year it will happen and it’s super-exciting.”

Jumptech is at the forefront of supporting businesses on their V2G journey, scaling and speeding up installations across the UK.

The platform supports faster delivery, better visibility and reduced admin – across EV, solar and battery installs. It uses automation to track and simplify installations, joining up teams and systems with minimal fuss and ensuring compliance.