Renault's Mobilize, The Mobility House to offer vehicle-to-grid services in Europe
Mobilize, a Renault Group brand, and The Mobility House are launching Europe's first Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) service for private customers, starting with the launch of Renault 5 EV in France and Germany in 2024 as well as in the United Kingdom in 2025.
The bidirectional charging option enables customers to make their electric car battery available to the energy system and receive a financial reward for doing so. They can – through bidirectional charging and discharging – take part in the energy transition and earn money with their electric car when they are not using it for driving.
The Mobility House's technology will be used to market the electricity stored in the batteries on the energy markets, maximizing the value of mobile storage devices in the energy system and unlocking their full potential.
"Thanks to Mobilize V2G, cars become an energy reserve. All drivers have to do is regularly connect their vehicle to the Powerbox to optimize their electricity bill and cut carbon from their mobility. On average, the cost of charging is cut by half. That is how Mobilize's mobility solutions are more sustainable and affordable," says Corinne Frasson, Director of Energy Services at Mobilize.
The joint offer consists of four components - an electric car with integrated bi-directional charger, a bi-directional charging station "Mobilize Powerbox", a Mobilize energy contract, and a mobile app for individual control, according to the partners.
Robert Hienz, CEO of The Mobility House, said, "Together with Mobilize, we are offering a one-stop system. For the first time, our offering unlocks the full potential of electric cars – with no restrictions on vehicle use. During years of collaboration with many partners, our software has proven its reliability in daily use and demonstrated that our focus on electric car battery management pays off".
"Now, together, we are taking the next logical step and realizing Vehicle-To-Grid on a European scale. As an independent technology provider, we look forward to many more partnerships," he explained.
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The underlying technology in this joint offering is composed of the proven EV Aggregation Platform and EV Flexibility Trading. The coordinated systems interlock optimally, aggregate the storage potential of the vehicles and market the "flexibilities" in a way that serves the system and is profitable, the company claim.
The storage capacity provided by the electric cars is an important building block on the way to a renewable energy system. The solution takes into account both the energy market and the integration of the vehicle into the home. The latter essentially includes the PV system and the resulting optimized self-consumption, the partners add.
The Mobility House is continuing to expand already existing collaborations with various others automotive and energy partners as well, with the aim of enabling V2G for their customers.