Stellantis & Engie Announce V2G Joint Venture

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Earlier this week Stellantis announced that:

In a major step as they move towards the completion of their Joint Venture as announced on 26 January 2021, Stellantis and Engie EPS today announce the composition of the Board of Directors and the corporate name of the new entity: Free2Move eSolutions.

Free2Move eSolutions has the ambition to support and ease the transition to electric mobility by offering innovative and tailor-made electric solutions for both private and business actors of the value chain.

Through a digital and seamless journey across all product lines, the scope of Free2Move eSolutions activities will range from charging infrastructures (installation, servicing and operations), public and home charging subscriptions with monthly fee, to battery lifecycle management and advanced energy services such as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) integration and energy management solutions to reduce the total cost of vehicle ownership.

The joint venture between Stellantis and Engie EPS will simplify the access to e-mobility and will complement Free2Move current portfolio, with a new set of offers 100% dedicated to electric mobility.

Free2Move (part of the Stellantis Group) is a mobility tech company, created in 2016, whose objective is to simplify and guarantee mobility for both private and business customers with solutions adapted to all needs, anywhere and anytime from 1 hour, 1 day, to 1 month or more, via a single platform. It also provides solutions supporting energy transition and fleet management for professionals.




National Grid Acquires Western Power

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In a press release on March 18th National Grid announced:

National Grid plc today announces that it has agreed to acquire PPL WPD Investments Limited, the holding company of Western Power Distribution (WPD), the UK’s largest electricity distribution business, from PPL WPD Limited, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation for an equity value of £7.8 billion and National Grid has agreed to sell The Narragansett Electric Company (NECO) to PPL Energy Holdings, LLC, also a subsidiary of PPL, for an equity value of US$3.8 billion (£2.7 billion).

In addition, National Grid announces that it will commence a process later this year for the sale of a majority stake in National Grid Gas plc, the owner of the national gas transmission system.

As is the way with such things, this is not all signed, sealed and delivered just yet:

Completion of the WPD Acquisition, which will be funded by fully committed bridge facilities, is expected to occur within the next four months and completion of the NECO Sale is expected to occur before the end of the first quarter of 2022. National Grid expects to launch the sale process for NGG in the second half of this year and complete the sale approximately a year later.

The Chief Executive of National Grid, John Pettigrew , commented that:

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ABB Announce 11 kW V2G Charging Station

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In a press release a couple of days ago ABB announced that:

ABB Vehicle-to-Grid technology will set global benchmark for bi-directional charging with brand-new 11 kW station

ABB’s global e-mobility leadership has once again been underlined by the supply of its bi-directional charging technology to a Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) partnership project.

As part of a contract with France’s DREEV, a joint venture between Électricité de France (EDF) and Nuvve, which specializes in intelligent charging for EVs, ABB will supply its brand-new 11 kW bi-directional charging technology, specially designed for V2G.

ABB’s solution integrated with DREEV software technology will enable EV drivers to export surplus power back to the grid. With potential to generate up to 20€/EV/month, V2G thereby reduces the total cost of ownership and further boosts the adoption of EVs. Bi-directional chargers also help smooth the flow of uneven generation of electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind.

According to Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB’s global business for E-mobility Infrastructure Solutions:

ABB is a global market leader in fast charging solutions. We are delighted to have the opportunity to support DREEV in its mission to actively participate in making the grid more resilient with V2G technology. Our cooperation with DREEV is one of the leading efforts worldwide to deploy real V2G technology to the field.

The press release suggests the new 11 kW units will be arriving here in the UK in the not too distant future:

Under the partnership, ABB will supply V2G bi-directional kiosks in France, followed by installations in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and Germany.

The light and compact 11 kW charger delivers a quick and flexible charge and is fully compatible with current and future EVs. It meets the most stringent grid compliance requirements and is designed to be the global benchmark for V2G charging.

That strongly suggests that the ABB wallbox is already compliant with UK grid codes, which is excellent news! I wonder when we’ll be able to put one through its paces (dis)charging Lisa, our faithful 30 kW Nissan LEAF. She has been patiently waiting for such a device for quite some time now:


Electric Nation V2G Trial Uses Wallbox Chargers

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In a press release last week the Electric Nation project announced that:

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid (V2G) trial, which is aiming to demonstrate how V2G technology can provide a solution to potential electricity grid capacity issues as the numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) increase, has announced that it will partner with Wallbox, a leading energy management company that manufactures smart EV charging solutions.

The trial introduces Wallbox’s latest innovation, Quasar, which is the smallest and lightest bidirectional charger for home use. By using Quasar, EVs can put energy back into the grid at peak times, supporting national energy demand. This technology reduces the need for extra electricity generation or network reinforcement.

Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid – a project of Western Power Distribution (WPD), in partnership with CrowdCharge – is recruiting 100 Nissan EV owners in the WPD licence areas of the Midlands, South West and South Wales to take part in the trial of Vehicle to Grid smart charging technology.

If you’re a Nissan LEAF or e-NV200 owner here is the Electric Nation V2G trial carrot:

The Electric Nation Vehicle to Grid trial is offering free installation of the V2G smart chargers worth £5,500 to Nissan EV drivers who live in the three WPD regions. CrowdCharge is recruiting 100 people for the trial to help Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and others to understand how V2G charging could work with their electricity networks.

I suspect that lots of people will be applying, so don’t wait too long!

Inauguration of the FCA/Terna/ENGIE V2G pilot project

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We have been covering the joint Fiat Chrysler/Terna/ENGIE V2G project in Milan for the past year or so. Yesterday the first stage of the project was inaugurated during an on site press conference. According to the Terna press release:

Today at the headquarters of the Heritage Hub within FCA’s Mirafiori industrial district in Turin, FCA, Engie Eps and Terna presented the Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric-mobility pilot project, which will be the largest in the world once completed.

The V2G installation, located in the Drosso logistics area, was inaugurated during an international conference in the presence of the Minister of Economic Development, Stefano Patuanelli, the Mayor of Turin, Chiara Appendino and the President of the Piedmont region, Alberto Cirio, along with numerous other institutional guests and journalists from Italy and around the world, with a demonstration of its features and operating methods.

The V2G plant at Mirafiori is a project “100% made in Italy”. On the one hand, it is a significant opportunity for the Italian industrial system to take a leading role in the development of the future of sustainable mobility. On the other, it is the result of the joint effort of three companies that lead their sectors. In their use of such an innovative technology, their experiments are now beginning on a bidirectional charging solution that benefits from physical aggregation in a single point of interconnection with the power grid, capable of interacting with the other energy resources on site.

According to the Engie press release:

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The Future of Vehicle to Grid EV Charging?

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Our title for today is shamelessly plagiarised from an article of the same name on the Electric Nation web site, which begins as follows:

By 2050, up to 45% of households will actively provide Vehicle to Grid (V2G) services, according to National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios, published in July 2020. But will the average Electric Vehicle (EV) driver be able to use V2G charging over the next few years?

A very good question and a very interesting infographic! The article continues:

The rapid growth in the numbers of electric vehicles on our roads will mean more demand on local electricity networks if EVs are all plugged in at the same time, such as during the peak between 5pm and 7pm in the evening. Smart charging, or ‘V1G’, which allows management of the time when EV charging occurs – as trialled by the original Electric Nation project – will help to avoid this situation.

V2G charging will be more effective than smart charging. This is due to the ability to link EVs together and put significant levels of energy back into the grid at peak times, like a huge decentralised power station. V2G will therefore help to reduce the grid’s need for additional energy generation, typically supplied by fossil fuels at peak times, as well as reducing demand on electricity networks, and allowing EV drivers to use greener and cheaper electricity.

So far so good, I agree entirely. However the next paragraph states:

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California ISO Anticipates Another Weekend Heatwave

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Following the recent series of rolling blackouts in California, we got wind of this a couple of day ago via Twitter:

Our suspicions have since been confirmed:


Here is the current GFS forecast for 00:00 UTC on Sunday:

And here is CAISO’s forecast demand for today:

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Sero Group Announce “UK’s largest domestic DSR trial”

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In a press release on Tuesday the Sero Group announced that:

FLATLINE, an industry led research project aiming to demonstrate the viability of a demand-side approach to energy management at domestic level, has reached a major milestone as residents move into three pilot homes at The Mill site in Cardiff.

Backed by the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the ‘Fixed Level Affordable Tariffs Led by Intelligently Networked Energy’ (FLATLINE) project aims to significantly reduce residents’ energy bills, using a combination of domestic Demand Side Response and demand shifting for both heat and electricity.

The specially built pilot homes at The Mill development site in Cardiff will be closely followed by a further 46 homes at a separate site, Parc Eirin in Tonyrefail – which will see first residents move in this autumn as the first phase of the 225 new home scheme is complete.

According to the “Zero Carbon Lifestyle” section of the Sero Homes web site:

Every Sero Home is built ready for future generations, and that includes the future of travel.

Our homes are built with three phase electricity – the “broadband” of power – and electric vehicle (EV) fast charging points. You can recharge your car at a Sero Home in less than four hours, compared to around twelve hours in a traditional home (or about three days on a 13amp plug).

Sero Homes’ class-leading recharging times are only useful if you can afford the car in the first place. To tackle this, on most of our sites we offer our residents an option to take an EV lease with inclusive miles bundled in.

It’s probably no coincidence that today Robert Llewellyn announced a new edition of his Fully Charged Show. An introduction to the “Affordable Eco Housing” at The Mill and Parc Eirin:

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Marco and Laura Gang Up On Gulf Coast

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Only last week we were following power cuts caused by both a heat wave in California and hurricane force winds in Ireland thanks to the extratropical cyclone dubbed Storm Ellen by Met Éireann. This week we already have two hurricanes heading for the United States coast in the Gulf of Mexico, where a significant storm surge and numerous power outages are now expected.

The sustained wind speeds of Hurricane Marco have just dropped below the Saffir-Simpson scale category 1 threshold of 74 miles per hour. However storm surge and hurricane warnings are still in place for the Gulf coast of Lousiana:

A STORM SURGE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR.... 
* MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO OCEAN SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI 
* LAKE BORGNE 
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR... 
* MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO THE MOUTH OF THE PEARL RIVER

Marco is due to make landfall later this evening. Meanwhile Tropical Storm Laura, currently crossing Cuba, is forecast to strengthen as she crosses the Gulf before making landfall at hurricane strength on Wednesday night, in Louisiana once again:

FORECAST VALID 27/0000Z 29.2N  92.4W
MAX WIND  90 KT...GUSTS 110 KT.
50 KT... 50NE  40SE  30SW  40NW.
34 KT...100NE 100SE  50SW  80NW.

Significant damage to the electricity distribution infrastructure in the southern USA is expected. Yet again we are compelled to wonder if many of the anticipated power outages could have been prevented if areas of the United States vulnerable to hurricane damage already possed significant numbers of vehicle-to-grid capable electric vehicles and bidirectional charging stations?

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Bad Weather Batters Global Electricity Grids

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Over on the eastern side of the Pacific Ocean there has been a summer heat wave in California:


As a consequence air conditioning works hard, electricity demand goes up, and over the last few days there have been some rolling blackouts across the Golden State. According to the New York Times on August 16th:

As temperatures began to rise in California on Friday and again on Saturday, the manager of much of the state’s electric grid called on utilities to cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers.
But the rolling blackouts on those days left some of the state’s energy experts bewildered. They said that the utilities had plenty of power available and that the blackouts weren’t necessary. The grid’s capacity may be tested in coming days as temperatures are forecast to reach into the triple digits again in some places.

The grid’s capacity was indeed tested in the following days. It’s not clear why the California Independent System Operator (CAISO for short) didn’t issue a call for a voluntary “Flex Alert” on August 15th, but the ultimate consequence was some power cuts. Here’s CAISO’s record of electricity demand and renewable generation that day:

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