How two-way chargers could turn parked EVs into energy storage

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority and Counties Energy’s OpenLoop have launched a trial of two-way electric vehicle chargers that allow cars to put power back into the home or into the national grid when not in use.

The two parties said the trial would explore how two-way chargers can unlock the potential of battery storage in electric vehicles (EVs).

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and OpenLoop, the electric vehicle (EV) charging services arm of Counties Energy, said the trial would build on a smaller trial currently underway in Queenstown.

The second, larger trial will include installing up to 100 chargers across homes, commercial fleets and depot environments, expanding the range of use cases, technologies and customer scenarios tested in New Zealand.

It may also include a small number of heavy vehicle chargers.

With standard EV chargers, electricity flows one way from the grid into the vehicle.

Two-way chargers enable electricity to also flow in the opposite direction – from the EV into a home, building or the wider electricity network.

Two-way EV chargers are also called bi-directional chargers, or V2G (vehicle to grid) chargers.

“EV chargers are a proven technology and as EV uptake grows, electricity demand increases, and more electricity comes from renewable and intermittent sources, we want to understand how the latest two-way charging technology can open up access to energy storage for New Zealand,” EECA policy and regulation group manager Murray Bell said.

Counties Energy chief executive Judy Nicholl said there were potential benefits for customers, including reducing their power bills by changing their consumption behaviour.

EECA research shows home charging is the main way people charge their EVs.

Two-way chargers with vehicle-to-grid functionality are not yet widely available in New Zealand.

While there is growing uptake and widespread trials internationally, the technology remains relatively untested in New Zealand and standards are still developing.

Bell said findings from the trial would support a better understanding of how the technology can deliver value for customers and the electricity system.

Separately, the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) said electricity is taking on an increasingly central role in economies around the world.

Based on technologies available today and energy prices at the levels seen before the onset of the current supply shock, the report found electricity could cost-effectively meet 33% of the world’s final energy consumption by 2035, up from 23% today.

Energy prices at their current levels, amid the Strait of Hormuz crisis, would make even more of the world’s energy consumption cost-effective to electrify, the IEA said.