Indra, an electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure manufacturer, has shared early results from its vehicle-to-home (V2H) trial showing that participants reduced their energy consumption during peak times by 100MWh.
The trial has seen more than 200 bidirectional chargers installed in UK homes and, over multiple years, will explore how best V2H technology can be rolled out as a commercial product. According to Indra, the research and development project is the largest V2H trial in the world.
Trialists used energy from their EV’s battery to power their homes at peak times, recharging their cars at off-peak times when energy is cheaper.
Preliminary results suggest that if the peak energy use reduction seen in the trial were scaled up across the wholly electrified UK bidirectional car fleet, a significant load would be taken off the grid and carbon emissions would fall.
Indra also noted that of those involved in the trial, 50% anticipated total 12-month savings of between £400 and £799. A further 18% expected their savings to total between £800 and £1,199, and 10% predicted savings above those figures.
Households with rooftop solar installed could also use the energy they generated as part of the mix. Cost reductions were particularly noticeable for those trialling bidirectional charging in tandem with home solar, receiving Feed-In Tariffs or Smart Export Guarantee payments for electricity sold back to the grid.
The findings were presented by Indra’s chief technology officer, John Fox, who said the trial has so far provided “incredibly valuable data and insights” that the company will use to deliver “a valuable and enjoyable experience to users”.
He continued: “As expected, we’ve already shifted a significant amount of energy, supporting the grid and reducing carbon and this is only going to keep increasing as the trial continues. We’ve had some fantastic feedback from trialists on the savings they have made on their energy bills, and I can say from personal experience the savings are very much real – I’m around the £800 saving per year mark, with no solar panels at my home. This real-world evidence is vital in supporting our mission to bring the benefits of bidirectional EV charging to as large a number of people as possible.”
To ensure that the technology is accessible to all, Indra is working with Motability Operations, which runs a scheme enabling disabled people to lease affordable, accessible vehicles. Customers on Motability’s scheme have been included in the trial, and their experiences and feedback have been captured.
In March of this year, a project supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) was launched by Indra and energy provider EDF Energy. It sees Indra’s bidirectional chargers paired with a specially-created EDF export electricity tariff to examine how customers use bidirectional EV charging.
