Volkswagen subsidiary Elli is partnering with a regional system operator in eastern Germany to launch a pilot project for smart grid integration of electric vehicle charging which will include around 20 drivers of Volkswagen ID.3s, ID.4s, and ID.5s.
Elli, which specialises in energy and charging solutions, is partnering with Mitteldeutsche Netzgesellschaft Strom mbH, the largest regional distribution system operator in eastern Germany for a nationwide pilot project to relieve pressure on the grid at peak times and maximise the use of renewables for EV charging.
The pilot project will use an algorithm to provide price incentives to compare the cars’ charging plans with regional electricity output from renewable energy sources and the available capacities in the distribution grid.
According to Volkswagen, the resulting flexible grid usage will help to reduce bottlenecks in the power grid while simultaneously creating financial benefits for participants of the pilot.
A group of around 20 Volkswagen drivers – owners of the VW ID.3, ID.4, or ID.5 – will participate in this early phase of the pilot project.
“With this project, we are demonstrating for the first time how electric cars can be synchronized with the power grid in a user-friendly way,” said Niklas Schirmer, vice president for strategy at Elli.
“The car becomes a rolling electricity storage unit for the grid operator. For drivers, financial added value is generated via price incentives. By making the electricity demand of EVs more flexible, more renewable, regionally generated electricity can be used.”
The hope is that this will allow for greater penetration of clean energy in the local grid, avoiding increasing levels of curtailment. For example, according to Volkswagen, around 6,200GWh of green power had to be curtailed in Germany in 2020 alone.
“Together, we are supporting the energy and transport transition locally and investing in the energy future,” said Dr. Michael Lehmann, Head of Process and System Management at MitnezStrom.
“E-mobility and the energy industry are working hand in hand here,” said Dr. Michael Lehmann, head of process and system management at Mitnez.
“EVs can run on green electricity and relieve the strain on the power grid where it is particularly needed. We can prevent bottlenecks in the local grid by using newly developed software to allocate charging processes for electric vehicles to the available grid capacities.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.