Electric cars as ‘driving neighbourhood battery’ in Utrecht

In the fight against grid congestion, hundreds of electric shared cars in Utrecht will start supplying power back to the grid. This large-scale vehicle to grid project (VG2) involves a collaboration of Renault, MyWheels and We Drive Solar with the municipality of Utrecht.

Within that partnership, the five hundred electric shared cars operated by MyWheels will come from Renault, while We Drive Solar will provide the bi-directional charging infrastructure and Utrecht will provide the space to implement all the plans. Thanks to V2G technology, the cars can store energy from the grid and feed it back at peak times. This will create more balance on the grid and make sustainable energy available 24 hours a day, according to the initiators.

From March next year, the 500 electric Renaults will fulfil their dual role “as urban mobility solutions and as energy buffers. The electric shared cars will provide 10 per cent of the flexibility needed in the Utrecht region to balance solar and wind energy over day and night,” the cooperating parties say.

Accelerating energy transition

Utrecht alderman Eva Oosters of Environment and Emission-free Transport is naturally enthusiastic. “With this initiative, we show how shared mobility and smart technology together can accelerate the energy transition. By using electric shared cars as driving neighbourhood batteries, we are creating sustainable, self-sufficient neighbourhoods as well as freeing up space for greenery and liveability in the city.” She speaks of a beautiful and important step that she hopes will inspire many other initiatives.

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