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Electric vehicles (EVs) are allowed by Vehicle-to-Grid technology to communicate with the public power grid and provide electricity back to the grid to meet the energy demand.

EV owners are enabled by V2G technology to earn money or credit by participating in Virtual Power Plants, known as demand response programs.

V2G technology allows EV owners to supply electricity to their homes from their EV batteries during a power outage. Vehicle owners could leverage their vehicle’s considerable battery capacity to sell electricity back to the grid during peak loads.

Users can also set a cap for power overutilization of the battery and further customize settings to choose to buy back electricity when it’s cheaper and sell it to the grid at peak prices.

It is a smart charging technology that allows car batteries to give back to the power grid and also treats high-capacity batteries not just as tools to power EVs but also as a backup storage cell for the electrical grid.

During peak hours, V2G technology can help the energy grid supply electricity and create an extra power source. It is also a supportive tool when weather-dependent renewable energy sources are not available.

Also, pressure on the grid can be reduced with V2G technology, which might experience disruption from load variations. V2G technology is related to Vehicle-to-load (V2L), but the AC phase is not synchronized with the grid, so the power is available for an “off-grid” load.

Benefits of V2G technology:

• EV owners are allowed by V2G technology to earn money or credit by participating in Virtual Power Plants, known as demand response programs.
• The supply of local renewable energy is optimized with V2G technology to reduce infrastructure costs.
• EV owners can also enjoy greener, more economical consumption of electricity with financial rewards for serving the electricity grid.
• Additional revenue streams can be provided with V2G technology for utilities and energy companies, which can reduce the need for expensive grid upgrades.

Limitations of V2G technologies:

• The only technical disadvantage of V2G operation is battery degradation due to the high number of charge and discharge cycles.
• V2G standards are difficult and complex to regulate in terms of power, safety, and electrical requirements when discharging energy into the grid.

Source: Vehicle to Grid technology, cleanenergyreviews, evconnect, aptiv, cyberswitching, evenergi