Utrecht's shared car project helps manage peak demand on the energy grid

The challenge: a traffic jam on the electricity grid

On sunny days, too much sustainable energy is generated, leading to grid congestion: a traffic jam on the electricity grid. The consequence? Companies face long waits for a new or larger connection and are unable to expand. A recent news report even revealed that companies are considering leaving the Netherlands as a result. On the other hand, the grid also experiences overloads: between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM, residents return home and consume energy. This imbalance puts our energy infrastructure under severe pressure. Although grid operator Stedin is already working on upgrading the infrastructure, it is a long process that will take years. The project in Utrecht, however, demonstrates that the smart use of electric cars can make a significant contribution to this challenge.

The mechanism: how V2G works

At its core, V2G is the use of an electric vehicle as a bidirectional energy source. When there is a surplus of electricity, the car's battery can be charged. Subsequently, during periods of peak load, the car can deliver power back to the grid. This simple concept turns every V2G-capable car into a flexible, decentralised energy source.

In Utrecht, 500 electric vehicles provide about 10% of the required flexibility, directly relieving up to 5 megawatts of congestion at peak times. This is equivalent to the power of 600 electric ovens running simultaneously. V2G technology is a crucial part of the energy transition, ensuring that we handle energy sources and consumption more intelligently.

Collaboration across the value chain

We Drive Solar is one of the first projects where Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) has been applied on a large scale. The foundation for this was laid in Utrecht ten years ago. The project proves that collaboration between different parties is crucial for success.

Besides We Drive Solar, which manages the network of bidirectional charging stations, the following partners were involved:

• The Municipality of Utrecht: facilitated the project and created the right enabling conditions.

• Grid operator Stedin: ensured the stability and reliability of the electricity grid.

• MyWheels: made the technology accessible through car sharing.

• Renault Group: supplied the V2G-capable vehicles.

The Utrecht project is therefore an excellent example of a complex ecosystem that relies entirely on collaboration. It shows what is needed to make V2G possible on a large scale: not only the right technology but also a collective effort to overcome regulatory hurdles and build a complete system.

The road ahead: built for progress

Road builds software for operating and managing charge points and transactions. With the arrival of V2G, a different need arises that we as a company are addressing: feeding electricity back to the grid. We help our clients enable V2G for their applications, as we did for Kia Netherlands.

With E-Flux by Road, we offer software and services that make managing charge points as simple as possible. We don't shy away from challenges and actively collaborate on finding the best solution – whether it involves V2G or other innovations within the EV charging infrastructure.

Contact us today to see how E-Flux by Road can prepare your business for a smarter energy future.