Electric cars will soon allow us to solve the problems associated with peaks in energy consumption. Explanations.
What is an electric car used for? Mainly to move, of course. These vehicles, which have tended to increase in number over the past few years, also make it possible to significantly reduce polluting emissions at the local level and of CO2 at the global level. But there are other virtues to these cars, some of which will be highlighted in the coming years. Did you know that our electric cars would soon be used to supply cities, buildings and houses with electricity during episodes of high electricity consumption? This is exactly the principle of ” V2G “, The” Vehicle to Grid “in the language of Shakespeare. Invented by American university researchers at the end of the 90s, this technique consists in making the most of the electricity contained in vehicle batteries via a two-way terminal.
An electric car to replace the power plant!
The Japanese are already familiar with this principle of V2G. There, electric vehicles are directly used to ensure the proper functioning of the network: the Japanese connect their Nissan Leaf and other Mitsubishi i-Miev to bi-directional charging stations, capable of filling their batteries but also of partially recovering their energy when the local network requires more electricity. The vehicle is thus used to supply electricity to the network, like a real small power station. It serves as a back-up during peaks in consumption, avoiding the problems associated with too much demand.
V2G in France: illusion or reality?
In France too, the V2G is growing. Energy companies know it: an electric vehicle remains stationary 95% of the time on average. So you might as well use it as a potential source of energy during these long periods of inactivity. In Bordeaux in 2019, DREEV (joint venture between EDF and the Californian start-up NUVVE) deployed the first V2G compatible terminals, capable of supplying electricity to vehicles but also to draw some of it from their batteries. Even more: since July 2020, a project focused on the same territory and on a scale never seen in France has been launched in Occitania with the installation of 100 V2G charging stations (manufactured by ABB). Enough to constitute a virtual power plant of nearly 1 MW! The fact of connecting your vehicle in V2G would make it possible, by being paid for the returned electricity, to cover part of the bill for your automobile electricity. Or around 250 euros for 15,000 kilometers per year with recharging during off-peak hours.
With V2G intelligent charging and discharging
For the moment, V2G is limited with us to corporate electric vehicle fleets, but the objective, in the medium term, could be the deployment of the solution at home! When you connect your car to the home terminal, its battery will charge and discharge according to its needs and those of the network. But don’t panic, there is no risk of ending up with a car with a fully discharged battery when it comes time to go to work in the morning: not only will the charging station not drain the battery to a large extent, but it will be possible, via an application. , to program a 100% load at the desired time. In the event of an unforeseen journey, the user can also cancel the energy return to force the system to charge.
