Tag Archives: EDF

Will GB Energy be keen on V2G?

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Just in case you missed the news, the Labour Party have been holding their annual conference this week. During his well received speech current Labour Party leader Keir Starmer had this to say:

We will set up Great British Energy in the first year of a Labour Government. A new company that takes advantage of the opportunities in clean British power. And because it is right for jobs. Because it is right for growth. Because it is right for energy independence from tyrants like Putin…

The exciting news about the potential “GB Energy” publicly-owned low carbon energy company seems to have been generally well received. For example the New Civil Engineer had this to say:

Labour leader Keir Starmer’s plan to create a publicly-owned renewable energy company is a positive step for the industry, according to Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit senior analyst Jess Ralston.

At the Labour Party conference, Starmer announced proposals to create the new company, named Great British Energy, if Labour wins the next general election.

The company would be similar to France’s EDF and aim to ensure an expansion in clean energy, focusing on offshore wind, onshore wind, nuclear, solar, hydrogen and tidal power.

Ralston told NCE that the clean power industry will be “boosted” by the plans.

“The devil will be in the detail but more broadly it does show that Labour clearly see clean power – whether it be nuclear or wind, solar and renewables – as the future of the energy system and putting government money behind it would help investors see the security there and help private investment be leveraged as well,” she said.

A few years ago, in the days when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader, John McDonnell had this to say concerning vehicle-to-grid technology:

Speaking on the Today programme, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell announced that Labour will introduce 2.5 million interest free loans for the purchase of electric cars.

The loans of up to £33,000 will allow low to income households, those living in rural areas and independent contractors and SMEs middle to save on new electric cars. The government will cover the £1,500 cost of interest on a loan, with individuals saving up to £5,000 over time.
The scheme will ensure that access to the Electric Car Revolution is broadened beyond elites, as part of Labour’s vision of clean transport for everyone.

The interest-free loans will require participation in a mass trial of Vehicle-2-Grid technology which will allow the UK to transition to renewable energy.

This new technology will allow electric cars to store excess energy from the national grid, smoothing energy supply from renewable sources.
The scheme will boost the British automobile industry and support the UK’s transition away from petrol and diesel cars.

One cannot help but wonder what views the current Shadow Chancellor,
Rachel Reeves, holds on the three letter acronym most dear to our hearts here at V2G UK?

Ditto for the current Chancellor of the Great British Exchequer!

Watch this space!

Nissan/DREEV Announce Fleet V2G

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A few days ago EDF announced in a press release that:

EDF, through EDF Group subsidiary DREEV, has launched a new commercial charging service using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in the UK, in partnership with Nissan. This means businesses can support the grid by consuming low carbon energy, and progress towards their net zero and decarbonisation targets, whilst reducing their costs.

The V2G technology developed by DREEV, which is a joint venture between EDF and Nuvve – the global leader in V2G technology, allows for two-way energy flow; both recharging an EV’s battery when electricity is at its cheapest, and discharging excess energy to sell back into the grid.

The EDF V2G offer is available for fleet owners of Nissan’s LEAF and e-NV200 models and will allow fleet customers to achieve around £350 savings per charger each year, which equates to approximately 9,000 miles of driving charge per year[1].

EDF’s V2G business solution includes:

  • The supply and installation of a two-way connected compact 11kW charger capable of fully charging a Nissan LEAF, depending on the battery model, in just 3 hours and 30 minutes – 50 per cent faster than a standard charger – with integrated DREEV technology.
  • A dedicated DREEV smart phone application, to define the vehicles’ driving energy requirements, track their state of charge in real time, and control charging at any time

I’m not entirely sure that I agree with the copywriter’s assertion stating “Nuvve – the global leader in V2G technology” though. Take a look at the image accompanying the press release:

I’d swear I’ve seen that picture somewhere before. In the background can be seen a wallbox bearing the ABB logo. It looks an awful lot like the unit pictured in this recent ABB video:

Perhaps I’ve blinked and missed it, but I don’t recall seeing the announcement of Nuvve’s takeover of ABB?

The DREEV/Nissan announcement concludes with:

The V2G business solution is now available in the UK. Businesses that are interested should visit https://www.edfenergy.com/electric-cars/vehicle-grid for more information.

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:


Nissan and EDF collaborate on UK V2G

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In a press release earlier today Nissan announced that:

Nissan and EDF Group have signed a cooperation agreement to accelerate the delivery of electric mobility together – particularly through the smart charging of electric vehicles. This agreement applies to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Italy.

The cooperation agreement focuses mainly on developing smart charging solutions (vehicle to grid, or V2G) by bringing together technologies developed and mastered by both companies. Smart charging refers to technologies that optimise the charging or discharging of an electric vehicle in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

As part of the cooperation agreement, Nissan is responsible for the sale of V2G compatible electric vehicles, and EDF Group in charge of V2G charging solutions and related services.

If EDF have “developed and mastered… V2G charging solutions” I cannot help but think they must be buying in the necessary hardware technology from elsewhere rather than having developed and mastered it themselves. However the news release is rather vague about that side of things! It continues:

Fundamental to Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility vision is the integration of electric vehicles into society, with V2G technology offering significant benefits to electricity grids and providing new financial opportunities to businesses. As increasing numbers of drivers and businesses make the switch to 100% electric vehicles, Nissan achieved record sales for both the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 van in Europe last year.

EDF Group is committed to promote clean mobility for everyone, in particular by developping “smart charging” solutions with tangible benefits to customers. These fully integrated solutions include the management of the battery’s charge and discharge as well as flexibility services to the grid available through storage. They are carried by Izivia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the EDF Group specialising in charging infrastructure, and Dreev, the newly launched EDF-NUVVE joint venture, specialising in V2G commercial solutions.

Perhaps EDF’s V2G hardware arrives via Dreev then. However Nuvve have told me numerous times that they are “not in the hardware business”. Who is then?!

The coda to the interesting bit of the release states:

Today’s agreement follows a previous partnership in the UK between EDF Energy and Nissan. Signed last year, the two organisations agreed to collaborate around the development of shared offerings in the areas of electric mobility, smart charging, second-life battery use, energy storage and renewable energy sources.

That doesn’t reveal what Dreev are up to either, so let’s dig a little deeper shall we? According to the Dreev web site:

Dreev solution relies on Nuvve technology that has already been deployed and validated on 5 continents.

followed by:

Nuvve Corporation is a San Diego-based green energy technology company, world leader in V2G technology, whose mission is to lower the cost of electric vehicle ownership while supporting the integration of renewable energy sources, including solar and wind.

which links to the Nuvve web site which tells us:

As part of our complete vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solution, we offer bidirectional chargers which are preconfigured to work with NUVVE’s Grid Integrated Platform (GIVe™).

Nissan’s press release included a picture of a shiny red right hand drive 2019 model year Nissan LEAF e+:

Nissan LEAF e plus-small

A packet of peanuts will be our astonishingly generous reward for anybody able to send us a verifiable image of the Nuvve/Dreev “developed and mastered” DC V2G hardware technology. Note that the image on the Nuvve “V2G Chargers” page shows hardware technology developed by a 3rd (or should that be 4th) party.