Utrecht to Australia: Unlocking scalable, low-cost V2G

Utrecht to Australia is a pioneering research and development project, focused on adapting the proven, internationally leading Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) model from Dutch city Utrecht to the Australian context. The project will analyse the features that enabled Utrecht’s success and reframe them to suit Australia’s distinct energy and mobility landscape.

It will explore inclusive and lower cost AC-V2G pathways, enabling this technology to be available to more Australians.

Participants

• iMOVE Australia
• Net Zero Engineering Solutions

Project background

The Utrecht to Australia project aims to unlock scalable, low-cost, bi-directional electric vehicle (EV) technology in Australia by leveraging the international experience of Utrecht and adapting proven European approaches, such as the use of AC bi-directional charging to local conditions.

Moving beyond pilot programs

The focus is on overcoming the barriers that have previously prevented V2G from progressing beyond pilots in Australia and internationally, but which Utrecht has overcome to deliver a large-scale, city-wide, commercial rollout of bi-directional EV technology.

According to Australia’s National Roadmap for Bidirectional Charging Background Modelling Report, the long-term cost premium of AC bi-directional charging (AC-V2G) in comparison to uni-directional charging is 6 times less than a standard DC bi-directional charger (DC-V2G) ($500 versus $3,000), making it a suitable choice for rollout of bi-directional charging at scale.

Australian barriers to date

However, the pathway to introducing AC-V2G charging in Australia is less straightforward as it requires an EV’s onboard inverter in order to achieve compliance to Australian grid codes (along with the grid codes of every other market that vehicle is supplied into).

Net Zero Engineering Solutions has been working to bring We Drive Solar’s proven AC-V2G charger and Renault combination from Utrecht to Australia, however this requires however the Renault EVs to be homologated for the Australian market and its unique grid codes.

Amending Australian standards

This project would represent the first time an AC-V2G charger/EV combination has been brought into the Australian market, with the compliance pathway being unchartered territory. One of the implications of this is that the key Australian Standard governing approval of bi-directional charging – AS4777.2 – Grid connection of energy systems via inverters, Part 2: Inverter requirements – is currently untested in its ability to in practice support AC-V2G technology. It was written with the intention of providing a pathway for both AC and DC bi-directional charging to receive grid code approval. However, the latest revision was able to draw from knowledge gained from market entry of a DC-V2G product, but not AC, and so amendments may be required to support this.

Dutch grid operators have worked collaboratively to allow innovation and ensure a regulatory pathway was available that supported the market entry of AC-V2G technology. To achieve this, they are allowing cross recognition of grid codes, supporting harmonisation and innovation.

Lowering costs and barriers to market entry

A key lesson from Utrecht, and the Smart Charging Alignment Europe (SCALE) – EU Horizon’s project – is the need to drive homologation across markets to lower costs and barriers to market entry. This work is also being supported by the International Energy Agency’s Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration Program Task 53 on Interoperability of Bi-directional Charging.

V2G for all EV owners

V2G in Utrecht was launched in partnership with carshare service, and has now been extended to residential V2G. Different use cases in Australia will be explored in order to form a roadmap to launch AC-V2G locally.

In order to achieve maximum impact and scale, V2G (and smart charging) needs to be viable for all EV owners.
As such, Net Zero Engineering Solutions has been applying for funding to develop a roaming energy plan solution. This was born out of a recognition that vehicle-to-grid, and its subset vehicle-to-home/building, is great for those users with vehicles parked at home all day, who can access their own solar for EV charging, but for the more than 50% of Australians who commute and for those without access to off-street parking, they may be locked out of the benefits this technology provides.

Depending on the success of establishing a large-scale V2G project which may use up the remaining available funding, and the outcomes of other grant funding applications, any remaining funding under iMOVE’s IEP2 may be pivoted to support activities related to scoping a roaming energy plan solution. . Letters of support for this initiative to help unlock both smart charging and V2G, have been received from Origin, AGL, EnergyAustralia, Amber Electric, Essential Energy, EVX, ChargePost, and the RAA.

Project objectives

A core objective of the project is to enable broad access to V2G through the deployment and adaptation of AC-based bidirectional chargers, which are significantly more affordable than DC alternatives.

This project aims to contribute to the mass rollout of bidirectional charging in Australia by:

• Attracting and encouraging one or multiple EV OEMs to offer AC-V2G solutions in Australia.
• Identifying key gaps between AS4777.2 – Grid connection of energy systems via inverters, Part 2: Inverter requirements and the capability of EV OEMs to comply with these in relation to AC-V2G.

This project will leverage international collaborations and learnings to facilitate the above.

Depending on the success of being able to establish a large-scale V2G project and available funding, the project may expand its objectives to include foundational work to help unlock roaming energy plan solutions.

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!