Groupe Renault has begun its first large-scale pilot schemes in alternating-current, vehicle-to-grid charging in electric vehicles.

A fleet of 15 Zoe vehicles with vehicle-to-grid charging will be introduced in Europe over the course of 2019 to develop future offerings in reversible charging and lay the groundwork for the future standards with the help of Renault’s partners.

Vehicle-to-grid charging - also called reversible charging - modulates the charging and discharging of electric-vehicle batteries in accordance with users’ needs and the grid’s supply of available electricity.

These pilot schemes have begun in Utrecht (the Netherlands), in an ecosystem developed by We Drive Solar, and on Porto Santo Island (in the archipelago of Madeira, Portugal) with Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira, an energy supplier.

Following these, more pilot schemes will be introduced in France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. The aim is twofold: to measure large-scale feasibility and potential gains.

Groupe Renault director of electric vehicles Gilles Normand said:  “With this initiative, Groupe Renault is fully fulfilling its role as a leader in electric mobility for all and as a player in the energy transition.

“Vehicle-to-grid charging is a key pillar of the smart electric ecosystems that Groupe Renault has set up. We have chosen onboard technology that also optimizes the cost of recharging stations and thus facilitate a large-scale development.”

In particular, these pilot schemes will help to:

• Underline the technical and economic advantages of an onboard solution in electric vehicles
• Demonstrate the value of services provided for the local and national electricity grid, such as encouraging consumption of solar and wind energy, checking the grid’s frequency or tension, and reducing infrastructure costs
• Work on the regulatory frameworks of a mobile energy-storage scheme, detecting any pitfalls in it and offering concrete solutions
• Establish common standards, the basic requirement for an industrial-scale roll-out.