UK weighs V2G credits in zero-emission vehicle mandate review
Ministers are considering credits for carmakers that fit bidirectional charging, as campaigners warn the incentive could let more petrol cars be sold.
The story in focus
UK ministers are considering giving carmakers credits under the zero-emission vehicle mandate for fitting vehicle-to-grid charging technology, The Guardian reported. A government consultation on the plans closed on Friday. Campaigners warned the credit could allow manufacturers to sell more petrol cars, and that the technology remains largely untested at scale.
- Ministers are weighing V2G credits as part of the ZEV mandate review, per a consultation that closed Friday.
- V2G lets drivers charge when power is cheap and sell electricity back to the grid at peak demand.
- Campaigners warn a credit could let carmakers sell an extra petrol model without risking fines.
- Neso forecasts V2G could provide 1.2GW by 2030 and up to 41GW by 2050.
What the proposal would do
The Guardian reports that UK ministers are considering rewarding carmakers that install vehicle-to-grid, or bidirectional charging, in their cars. Under the plans detailed in a government consultation that closed on Friday, manufacturers could earn a credit for selling vehicles fitted with the technology, which would let them sell another petrol car without risking fines for missing zero-emission vehicle targets.
V2G lets drivers charge automatically when electricity is cheap, then sell some back to the grid at times of high demand, or power their home. If millions of cars could send power back, it could help balance the grid during still, cloudy or dark periods when wind and solar output falls short of demand, and reduce the need to fire up gas plants.
Concerns and outlook
Environmental groups said the incentive could have a perverse effect by allowing more polluting petrol models to be sold in the coming years. The government is preparing to cut EV sales targets under the ZEV mandate; green groups expect changes that could mean an additional 147m tonnes of carbon emitted by 2050.
Ben Nelmes of the thinktank New AutoMotive said carmakers should be rewarded only if the technology is actually used. Vicky Edmonds of the Electric Vehicle Association England said it was too early to give credits for a technology not yet tried at scale by drivers.
The National Energy System Operator forecasts that V2G could supply 1.2GW on demand by 2030, growing to as much as 41GW by 2050, enough to meet more than a quarter of peak demand.
How much power could vehicle-to-grid technology provide by 2030 and 2050?
The National Energy System Operator forecasts V2G could provide 1.2GW on demand by 2030 and as much as 41GW by 2050, enough to meet more than a quarter of peak energy demand.
Sources & further reading
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