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Vehicle to Grid (V2G), Vehicle to Home (V2H), and Vehicle to Load (V2L) are all terms which involve the bidirectional flow of energy between electric vehicles, homes, and/or the grid. V2H and V2G are the 2 main terms, in which V2L is the parent term. These include using the energy stored in the Electric Vehicle battery and using it for home usage, feeding back into the grid, or other various loads.
(V2G) Vehicle to Grid refers to the energy from the electric vehicle battery and outputting the energy into the grid.
Batteries in general allow homes to be powered during blackouts, and this vehicle to grid capability allows vehicles to act as a home battery, supporting the grid with energy stability.
Electric Vehicle batteries can be charged with solar or low-tariff grid prices and discharged back into the grid at times of high demand for rewards including deduction in your energy bill, and additional income.
(V2H) Vehicle to Home enables electric vehicles to support homes with power or a
building in times of grid failures and high energy demand periods.
Because the battery is very large this arrangement has the ability to easily supply all the house loads for several days autonomously
which might be the case in a grid blackout during a storm.
In using the car's battery in this way we are making good use of its very large battery.
(V2L) Vehicle-to-Load is the parent, broader term used for the using the electric vehicle to power any type of electrical load, outside just V2G and V2H. This can include any electrical load, from powering tools on a job site, to supporting emergency efforts with a large portable power bank.
The term V2L is more directed at the usefulness of using Electric vehicles as energy storage systems that can provide a range of solutions.
The arrangement suggests a two way flow of energy, the car being charged when needed by energy from the home's solar or grid supply. And the direction of energy flow reversing when supplying the house.
For the system to work the car's electronics must be designed from the ground up to do this job and very few so far have this ability.
The Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi PHEV are both compatible with Vehicle to Grid and Home.
Vehicles that are compatible with V2L are:
If an Electric Vehicle is subject to V2G or V2H, it can decrease the life span due to the higher frequent usage of the battery.
However, there are controllable methods to ensure the battery is regulated, so the lifespan is not greatly impacted.
The answer depends on how you use the bidirectional features. It depends on factors such as the capacity and build quality of the battery,
how often you use it, and the rate of exporting every day.
Currently, the only charger available in Australia that is compatible with V2G and V2H is the Wallbox Quasar 2 that supports bidirectional charging. This comes at a cost of approximately $10,000 per unit, but this price is expected to rapidly drop as bidirectional technology becomes more popular.
Most homes are on single-phase which allows for a maximum of 7.4kW charging to your electric vehicle, but will this be the same in exporting back into the grid? Manufacturers may design their vehicles with limits of how much one can discharge, in protection of faster battery degradation, or worse, not even have the capability at all.
We predict that this technology will rapidly become available amongst Australians, with South Australia leading the charge (no pun intended) for early adopters who are investing in Vehicle to Grid compatible EV's and chargers.
Due to the nature of electric vehicle charging, most people won't want to discharge their batteries in times of peak demand through vehicle to grid. In result, V2G will be a great strategy for a high power into the grid, but the energy won't be sustainable for long periods of time. In retrospect, the use of solar EV charging will really help soak up solar energy throughout the day, and be used later at night, stabilising the grid.
People may want to have the ability to discharge their whole battery instead of using expensive grid energy in times of high peak energy, and recharge their battery when it is an off-peak time or through solar energy. This model is similar to what Amber provides with their battery and solar plans.
V2G goes hand in hand with another acronym, VPPs; Virtual Power Plants and refers to the situation where many discrete energy sources like homes with batteries of one kind or another are orchestrated by internet borne computer algorithms to either soak up excess energy on the grid like on a sunny day and provide the grid with supplementary energy to the grid in times of need.
Naturally big batteries will be able to supply and receive more energy and improve the grid stabilising effect and quite often its not large swathes of energy that are required but suitably timed large bursts of power either imported or exported; something an EV battery was designed for.
This is at a hold due to multiple variables, including the regulatory status at a national stage, the DNSP’s (Distributed Network Service Providers) all over Australia, and EV manufacterers.
The bi-directional technology roll-out can also be on the manufacturers and the timing of the new charging features being implemented in newer EV’s, in which most companies are planning on having in their Electric vehicles by 2025, including Tesla.
The technology is coming, and there is a lot to be excited about.
Whilst this type of energy distribution is in its infancy, there are promising features to allow for flexible energy production and consumption for all types of properties in Australia, however we can only wait until the market rises for bi-directional charging capabilities, and for the other parties to develop products, infrastructure, and regulatory status.
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