Great video. Thank you for sharing your experience. VtoG or VtoH is an exciting possibility . Your video demonstrates that it already works. With the increasing number of EVs, we could help reduce peak electrical consumption and better utilise renewable electricity generation.
Hi, thank you for such interesting videos, and what a brilliant presenter you are. As a 62kw leaf owner and looking at battery storage what a perfect way to use the massive battery sat outside the house. Thank you once again and watch out top gear, a new presenter is right here!
Hi, Andy, Thank you so much for your kind comments. 🙂 Right now, we are still waiting to see what happens next. OVO is promising that there will be a major announcement shortly; we suspect this may be the launch of an OVO V2H scheme. For the moment, therefore, we're holding on to see what's coming. Again, thank you for watching and commenting. Sheila.
A lovely, articulate and informative presentation. Cheers for this. My family here in New Zealand have a 7kw solar setup, a 40kw Leaf, a home charger in the garage and all works wonderfully as you accurately stated. v2G is being tested in Auckland and soon here in Christchurch where we live. We’re looking forward to the progress. People constantly inquire about the downside and we constantly declare there simply isn’t. Charging at home overnight using lower night rates, charging free with solar on sunny days, getting paid for exporting excess energy to the grid has exceeded our expectations. The Nissan Leaf performs flawlessly; no oil changes or tuneups and all quietly without fumes while never having to visit a petrol station. V2G will be a delightful addition to this already contented energy consumer.
Hi, Owen, Thank you for your positive and uplifting comment. You're right, there is no downside to V2G / V2H / V2X. I am pleased this is catching on all over the world. We're still waiting for everyone's ducks to fall in a row so we can change from V2G and test out V2H. I think we're getting close. We had a Webinar with Indra a couple of weeks ago and there is a second one scheduled which should give us details of the OTA charger upgrade. At that point, we will have to change electricity suppliers to get a low overnight rate, We'll keep everyone updated of course. Thank you for watching and commenting. Sheila.
Thanks for keeping up with these excellent and informative videos! I'm hopeful more of these programs will eventually spring up in the states. Such a cool and useful way to monetize your EV when it's idle.
Hi, It's not only the money it's making the most of resources. I everyone did this (eventually) we would not need backup oil and coal power stations. Thank you for watching.
Hi, Michael, you are right! V2G and V2H are the best and most practical ways to integrate electric vehicles into society whilst not overloading our national electric grids. In fact, V2G and V2H actively assist the grid, evening out loads and flattening the demand curve for electricity. It's an obvious way to go. Thank you for watching and commenting. Sheila.
That was really interesting, thank you. I've often wondered how it all worked! Good luck with changing suppliers and using more of your car's electricity at home. Looking forward to the next update!
A really helpful video and thank you for taking the time to share. Would love to see how you get on with V2H. I’ve been on V2H with Indra since June 21 and it’s working well. I started on octopus agile import and export but it wasn’t working out so changed to octopus bulb and charge the car from 12.30 - 4.30 where I can nearly get enough to run the house for a full day in winter with minimal solar. I have a heat pump so my electricity demand is higher and have a busy family too.
Hi, Laurence, It's always interesting to hear other people's experiences. Thank you for taking the time to write. As of now, we haven't moved. We have had some very clear indications that OVO is about to launch its own V2H scheme. We're intrigued to see what that might bring so we haven't changed anything yet. The government subsidy is keeping our electricity costs within reason and with others, like yourself, gaining experience with the Indra scheme, we are holding out until the end of the subsidy scheme to see what OVO does. If nothing happens, we'll be joining you! Thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers, Sheila.
Really interesting feedback, thank you for the informative video ! Looking forward to seeing how V2G and V2H is going to help energy transition at scale !
Awesome update , thank you . .. I bet many Leaf owners would love a battery that balanced ???…a trial has just completed here in Australia but sadly it took so long the leaf is out of favor and so expensive still . Look forward to seeing your progress on v2h Thanks again
This is one of the best videos I have seen on UA-cam. I'm going to watch them all. I'm from the Netherlands where all benefits to own solar panels are diminishing thanks to our Government. Next month there is going to be new law and facts of the future will be known. We are looking to get the V2L working in our favour and hopefully we can make new investments to be even more self sufficient. I do like the gadget at 9.28 that shows Kw usage. Hopefully I can find info about it in one of yours videos. Thank you for sharing.
Hi, thank you for your kind comments. I hope the Netherlands government make sensible laws for you and you can start doing V2G and V2H soon. The gadget at 9:28 is simply an "IHD" an In-Home display. In the UK, electricity supply companies have been giving them away when they install smart meters. The idea is that if you see what you are using and how much it's costing you will reduce your consumption. It does help. If you have a smart meter, there is probably a display that will work with it over your house WiFi. Here is an example but you will need to check compatibility with your meter. is.gd/IHD_Thing 🙂 Thank you for watching and commenting; and good luck! Sheila.
I'm late to the EV eutopia, I have an 18yo 3.6kW SunPower PV system that survived a massive hail storm but I had to have it removed to replace my roof and we decided not to have it reattached because it was no longer meeting our needs and these days the real-estate of the old system could be better used by a modern installation. We also bought a 2024 iD.4 to replace our 2005 Prius with a recently dead AC system. With US incentives I'm thinking it might make sense to purchase a base Leaf and use it for V2H/G. Our electric utility just announced measures to protect against wildfire which essentially means they will cut our power off if our area is threatened by wind or downed power lines. We already have an adjusting rate schedule, things will be like CA before we know it. Using a $15k Leaf for V2H/G 1st and backup car 2nd could be reasonable for us. Megawatts are normally denoted MW, mW is milliwatts.
Thank you for your interesting and informative post over the last 3 years. I’ve followed your posts with great interest since your first one in 2019. You inspired me to purchase my current 62 kW Leaf and am currently waiting to find out if I’ve been accepted for Indra’s V2H trial so I’ll be in touch again to share my thoughts in due course.
Hi, Michael, Wow! It's wonderful to know our videos have inspired you. We know you will love the Leaf - good luck getting onto the Indra scheme. Thank you for watching and yes, please do share what happens. Cheers, Sheila.
Interest videos, love your transparency with the numbers. Thank you for regular updates throughout the years. I’ve recently signed up for Indra V2H trial, I’ve been told I’m past the first filter, awaiting technical survey. So I look forward to enjoying similar thing as you in a few months time. Difference is I have a 8 years old 24 kWh Leaf for school run (my plan is 10 kWh home, ~5 kWh school run, using 10-90%). Also need to charge a Tesla for 60 miles commute during cheap 4 hour Octopus Go. Look forward to your next update on your V2H.
It sounds as though you are getting well organised. Good luck with your plans. As for us, we have yet to actually make the move to V2H. With the UK government cap on electricity prices until next April, it seems with export at cost plus 11 pence, with a 62 kWh battery, we may still be better off where we are. We will summarise it all in due course. Thank you for watching. Sheila.
Thanks for sharing your experience and financials, Im sure Indra will accept you if not already for the V2H, I assume there won’t need much alterations to consume only from the car and not push extra energy to the grid, maybe just Kaluza config change.
We have had a couple of emails back and forth with Mike Schooling. We'll try to get him into our next update. I suspect that won't be too long. Thank you for watching! Sheila.
What an excellent video.....no frills, no gumf, just solid data. I'm going to watch your other videos. Am I right in thinking, only certain cars (probably newer ones) can use their battery in this way (i.e. sending stored power back to the grid?). I don't know how you're paying for the car, but your massively decreased monthly utility payments have effectively covered any monthly HP or lease payments. That's financially very savvy, well done.
Hi, Fred! 🙂 You ask, "Am I right in thinking, only certain cars (probably newer ones) can use their battery in this way?" In a word, no. Right now, only vehicles with a CHAdeMO connector can do V2G - or V2H and that is actually one of the original technologies. At the outset, CHAdeMO was designed by the CHAdeMO Consortium in the noughties to be bi-directional - to be able to output or export power as well as charge the vehicle. The Japanese were the leaders in this because Japan has more than its fair share of natural disasters - tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and incredibly bad weather at times. The ability to run a house from the car during a power outage was important to them from the start. Since then CCS has become the European standard for EV charging and CCS does not (yet) support bi-directionality. It will - we believe in around 2025-26 when the technology and protocols are updated. This does not mean, however, that EVs being made now with CCS will be able to do V2G in the future, they will not have the necessary electronics on board to do so. Some newer vehicles are using the Type 2 port to do what is called V2L - Vehicle to Load, but this is not quite the same thing. There is no facility to synchronise with the grid. V2L is designed to (say) run a power tool or some heating when away from home and a power supply. Right now, CHAdeMO is the name of the game. Thank you for watching. Say hi to Wilma for us. Sheila.
@@ElectrAA Thanks for that comprehensive reply. There seems to have been a lack of 'integrated thinking' from the Europeans around using the battery in a vehicle to support the grid.
@@fredflintstone1428 Only the Japanese saw the need for V2H and V2G so early on. Let's also point out Tesla hasn't built it in either - yet! 🙂 Thanks again for watching.
Great, clear and informative videos. I just missed out on the V2G trial with OVO as the pandemic hit (they retracted their agreement to install).. and I'm now just waiting to hear from Indra for acceptance on to the V2H trial in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed! Look forward to seeing another video with a V2H update in the future!
Thank you for your kind comments. We strongly suspect OVO is about to launch its own V2H trial using the existing Indra chargers. For the moment, therefore, we have not changed anything. The government cap on electricity prices is keeping the lid on our costs at least until April. I hope you get onto the Indra trial. You need their charger so that's the best route for you right now. Let us know what happens. Cheers, Sheila.
Hi, To answer your question, no, not DC to DC. All batteries (including those in the car) are, by their nature, DC - Direct Current. Batteries have a + and a - pole. Your house is of course AC - Alternating current at either 50 or 60 Hz depending on where in the world you live. Whichever way you go, Car to grid or grid to car, something has to change one to the other and in both V2G and V2H, the "charger" (as we conveniently call it) actually contains both a rectifier (AC to DC) AND an Inverter (DC to AC). Charging through the CHAdeMO connection requires DC current to be supplied. This is rectified by the "charger" be it the one on your house wall or a huge 150kW one on motorway services. When the car is charging from a simple Type 2 connection, the rectifier is onboard the vehicle. I hope this helps. Basically, you have to have a charger with both facilities in order to do either V2G or V2H. A regular Type 2 wall box doesn't do it. Thank you for watching, we're glad you found our content interesting. Cheers, Sheila.
@@ElectrAA Hi Sheila, thanks. I'm looking at panels and a battery, with the battery on the DC side of the house hybrid inverter. So I figured the car could plug into the DC side of the hybrid inverter (just like a big house battery) but by implication you are saying that the house inverters do not come with that capability (yet). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed Bear in mind, the CHAdeMO protocols are extensive. To initiate a charge or discharge via the CHAdeMO (DC) connector requires a great deal of data exchange over 8 separate communication cables. There are many tests that have to be passed before any current is allowed to flow in either direction. Have a quick scan of these diagrams: is.gd/diagram1 and is.gd/diagram2 Unless your hybrid inverter "speaks CHAdeMO" I'm afraid you won't be able to get DC from the vehicle. Cheers, S.
@@ElectrAA that is extremely useful thank you. The opportunity to integrate seems to be there but I can see that the equipment for EV cars and equipment for house generation/storage have developed separately. Cheers.
Great video, and the continuation of update on V2G usage in normal household. I was surprised the energy supplier don't update V2G price plan to reflect the cost of import price.
Every energy supplier is rethinking rates and tariffs at the moment. Things may settle down in a while and make more sense. We'll keep you informed. Thank you for watching.
you are amazing! Well done video, very professional! We have 2013 Leaf and Kia EV6. I just discovered V2L with the kia and got interested by V2G/V2H with chademo. I live in Quebec and our electricity comes from water and it's the cheapest in Canada. Our winter are long and often lose power hence why the V2H looks interesting. There is this awesome new product call Dcbel r16 bidirectional charger which does all those cool things, only available in California. Anyway keep up your amazing content!
Hi, Jerome, Thank you for your kind comments. V2H sounds perfect for your needs in Quebec. As you will guess, we have not come across the charger/inverter you mention, but it sounds ideal. The only thing missing will be a changeover switch that isolates your house from the grid when there is a power outage and connects to the inverter instead and vice versa when the power returns. Big Clive on UA-cam dissected one a few years back: ua-cam.com/video/babtv00R-Nc/v-deo.html Good luck setting it up and thank you for watching. Sheila.
Very interesting. Here in Thailand we have a fixed rate feed-in credit which pays 40% of the purchase price of electricity. To qualify your solar system has to be no more than 5kW. I have chosen self consumption over feed-in. As there's no winter in the tropics it is possible to run my house and EV about 99% off-grid all year from solar. My next EV will have V2L so I can trickle charge my house batteries during the monsoon season. Looking forward to V2G becoming more widespread.
Thanks for your clear, well presented video. I'm picking up my second hand leaf tomorrow. But just yesterday I heard from Indra that they declined my application to join the v2h trial. The reason I'm buying the Leaf is to partake in v2h so I'm very disappointed. Infra say not to contact them but this puts me in a bind, do I cancel the car purchase or might Indra sell me a bidirectional charger. I see that you know Indra, might you know how best to proceed?
There are two reasons you may have been refused. Technical or geographical reasons or simply because the numbers are full. If the former, I doubt you will be able to take part - not just yet anyway. I would write to Mike Schooling at Indra either via Email or via the V2G-H UK Facebook Group at facebook.com/groups/504403987059410 and explain you have bought a car especially to participate and ask if you could be included either now or in the next draft. Mike is a very reasonable chap and always open to suggestions, so it's worth asking. It may be worth saying Sheila and Stephen suggested you contact him directly. Good luck and thank you for watching - let us know what happens.
Great video. Did you make it on to the Indra V2H scheme? I have just put my deposit down on a V2H charger, which I will use with Octopus Go and my solar panels.
Hi, Ian, No, we haven't gone to the Indra scheme, at least, not yet. Originally OVO were due to stop the V2G scheme in January, but we were getting very strong messages that they were about to launch their own V2H scheme. They have now postponed the end of their V2G programme until March at which time they have promised a new significant announcement. So, right now the government subsidy along with V2G and our solar panels are keeping our payments reasonable so we'll wait to see what OVO do. It could be interesting. Thank you for watching and commenting. Sheila.
At face value it appears to be a no-brainer to use the battery in your EV as a power source, not just for driving. Couple that with roof solar and cheaper low rate electricity from the grid many of the issues with renewables disappear. Or am I missing something? A huge thank you to Electra AA.
Just came across your channel. Thanks for the great insight, much appreciated. I would like to explore this further; which company would you recommend for this service..?
Hi, unfortunately, it's not a single company that can provide this sort of service. As you might have seen in our first video, it takes several organisations to come together to make V2G work. 1) You need the hardware. Actually, that's the easiest part, our charger comes from Indra - www.indra.co.uk/v2h/ 2) Next, you need software (the controlling App) and a hosting service. In our case, that is done by Kaluza - www.kaluza.com/vehicle-to-grid-v2g/ 3) Most importantly though, you need an electricity supplier that operates a V2G scheme and can interface with the above. In our case, that is OVO - www.ovoenergy.com/electric-cars/vehicle-to-grid-charger You cannot expect any random electricity supplier to run a V2G scheme; it's no use having the hardware and software if your electricity supplier has no back-office systems that can remotely interrogate hundreds of systems for import/export data and manage the complex accounting and billing. So - what do you do? Talk with electricity suppliers serving your area and ask if they are running a V2G or V2H scheme. If yes, then you are on track to continue and find out what hardware and software are required etc. Sorry, there is no simple "one-click" answer here. Most of the schemes you will find around are "trials" as indeed, ours is; we are one of just 330 households on project SCIURUS - the OVO/Kaluza/Indra V2G trial - and that is currently the largest worldwide. We believe V2G and V2H will come to everyone given time, but it's not universally available yet. It will be better when cars with CCS charge connectors can join in but that is still 3-4 years away. Good luck! Sheila. 🚙
Hi, Thank you for watching and commenting. If you have a 2013 Leaf it will have a 24 kWh battery, which is not ideal for doing Vehicle to Grid or Vehicle to Home. The reason being, that you should always leave enough in your car battery for emergencies. Also, a 2013 vehicle will likely have lost some range, so using it with V2G or V2H might leave only 5 to 10 miles for emergencies. A 30 kWh battery is regarded as the minimum size for V2G/H. We love encouraging people to join us but a 2013 Leaf is not ideal. Again, thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers, Sheila.
Hi, Patrick, I have uploaded a photo for you: www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/coxbwCtn3xeLUMqT29nJHoqpqccVlfv5u1drvmCyUYS Basically, the connection is made as follows: The incoming (and outgoing) mains connection first comes into the property via the company fuse - currently rated at 80 amps although we could go to 100 amps in the future if ever needed. Next in line is the smart meter that measures the current in both directions and reports regularly both to Indra and to Octopus. Next is a new, additional, isolation switch so the entire system can be switched off so it can be worked on when necessary. Next is a new junction box that splits the single connection into two . . . The first of these connections goes into the house to the usual domestic consumer unit in the kitchen. The consumer unit also connects to the solar panels via a generation meter in the kitchen that totals up the output from our solar panels (currently around 28mWh since we had them installed). The second connection from the junction box goes to a new, separate isolation switch just for the EV system. Then there is an external circuit breaker for the EV system only. This leads in turn on to an external power switch immediately before the charger so we can switch off the charger (in order to reboot it for example). Finally, the charger is connected. The charger will always take a few watts of power from the mains so it can synchronise its 50Hz output with the incoming mains. (The solar panels inverter is doing the same of course). The charger does all the clever work of matching the load from the house (minus what's coming directly from the solar panels) with what it's taking from the car. Basically, when the charger is generating electricity to keep our use of mains electricity as close to zero as possible it takes charge from the car and feeds it backwards through the set-up as just described. When it's exporting to the grid it will take up to 6kW from the car and feed it backwards into the grid, effectively running the smart meter in reverse and crediting us. The software changes modes at different times of day to minimise our charged-for electricity. (An item to note is when this picture was taken, the CT clamp was on the *wrong cable for V2H!* This simple fault caused all sorts of headaches initially. More about this in the next episode. Maybe we should do a section on how it's all connected in the next video!) 🙂 Thank you for watching and asking the question. Cheers, Sheila.
Indeed it could. A 30 kWh Leaf can cope with V2G and they are available second-hand now for around £7,000 - £8,000. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@ElectrAA Thanks for the info, I already have solar and now want a battery system, if I went out and purchased a leaf, how would I set up v2h please? Any chance you could do a step by step video guide please? Cheers
@@shaunwhiteley3544 Hi, Shaun, Our installation was done as part of a government-funded trial across 330 UK households, so the equipment and procedures were pretty well planned out for us in advance. OVO supplied the electricity, feed-in payments and accounting, Indra designed and built the charger/inverters, Keir was contracted to do the groundwork and Kaluza wrote the software and the App. In essence, we just said "yes please!" 🙂 The installation video is as close to a "step-by-step" as we can show you. ua-cam.com/video/-h_5QHUOQ1Q/v-deo.html Yours however will undoubtedly be different. Basically, you need all the above elements to make V2G or V2H work. You will need to find out which suppliers in your area do such a scheme, what software is available for that scheme, what chargers that software supports and so on. There is (as yet) no simple "do this, do that and it works" set of instructions that we can pass on. Keep watching what is available in your area. V2G and V2H are both really new. It will get easier, but right now it's not a "buy it and fit it" scenario. I'm sorry we can't be more helpful. Thank you for watching and commenting. Sheila.
Given all the increases in supply cost is it still (IYO) worth doing if you own a leaf (no solar) charging at night and using during the day? V2H in particular
Hi, Ian, There is no easy answer to your question. I think you will have to do the sums for your individual circumstances. You know all the variables: How often and for how long the vehicle is at home and can be connected Your average summer and winter electricity consumption You can research the various available tariffs and their price per unit (kWh) at different times of day and night The cost of purchase and installation, and thus . . . . . . the possible and likely break-even/payback period, when and indeed, if this is going to happen before you change your car. Sorry to be vague but we really can't advise on individual circumstances. Cheers, Sheila.
Thanks Sheila, another very informative video. Do you have any details of the OVO tariff and especially when they took leccy from the vehicle and were/are you able to sync this with the peak usage times if OVO give an enhanced rate during these periods (breakfast and dinner times). How much control did you have over export amount and time of day please. :)
HI, Mark, How much control did we have over export amount and time of day? Almost none! 🙂 The only control we have is to specify how much of our battery the grid can use and if/when we want the car charged every morning. Have a look at how the graphs changed when, during the lockdowns, we let the grid (i.e., OVO) have full control over when the car charged and discharged. Here's a timed link: ua-cam.com/video/7h9EecmLatY/v-deo.html In other words, OVO controlled when the car charged and discharged. Other than saying something like "we want the car charged to 80% by 9 am every day", we have no control at all. The OVO tariff we were on, and the tariff they wish us to move to, are described in this video. Thank you for watching.
Very nice series to watch and the journey you had. For the initial setup, did OVO cover the costs for the installation as it was a trial scheme? Will be interesting to see if you go ahead with V2H as I've tried looking into this myself for my 71 plate Leaf, I thought at first a normal home charger would support bi-directional so was over the moon that in theory I could charge to 100% for free while at work and then dump it all into the house but obviously not as simple as that and seen some information that to do that, you'd need to invert the cars invertor to do that (safe to say I didn't do that lol) Also interesting that OVO has been charging that much, I'm guessing it's a fixed contract you took out? As pre October 1st we were paying 29.32p/kw and 55.69p/standing charge, OVO estimated this would go up to 36.51p/kw and 56.93p/standing but looking at the current tariff it's at 34.77p/kw and 54.22p/standing. We're on the rolling variable contract so obviously can bounce at anytime. I enquired (4th August 2022) about OVO myDrive as it'd then be 5p/kw for electricity going to the car but then the normal electricity use would skyrocket: 62.17p per KWh Standing Charge: 56.16p per KWh I've been on track for the 5000miles/year so makes no sense to take this deal unless I was constantly doing 5-95% charging each day/during the day too which is too much stress
I've also been struggling to find any available companies in Edinburgh to come fit solar panels. As if I did also go with V2H then could essentially save money on the home battery and just use the cars battery as the home battery :)
Hi, The UK government paid for the installation as part of Project Sciurus, the world's largest V2G trial to date. Had we had to pay for it ourselves I doubt we could have afforded it. We were one of 330 households equipped with V2H as a trial. That trial is now finished, and you can read the closing report here: www.cenex.co.uk/app/uploads/2021/05/Sciurus-Trial-Insights.pdf However, OVO had agreed to continue supporting the scheme until 2025. Here are the details of the Indra charger/inverter we have. www.indra.co.uk/v2g (Keep scrolling down.) Our contract with OVO started at a flat buy rate of 14p per kWh and sell for 26p. When electricity costs started to rise, OVO spontaneously raised our sell rate to 32p. Nice of them! I'm not going to comment on all the rates you quote. There are sooo many to choose from and they are all changing so fast, that any comments made now will probably be null and void in a week! I will say, it looks as though we're going to move to Ocopus Agile and have Indra reprogram our charger/inverter to V2H - see www.indra.co.uk/v2h We're just waiting for a few answers to some final questions. We will of course update everyone in another video in due course. Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@caolkyle That's the plan of course and exactly what we have been doing and will hopefully continue to do with V2H. However, I wish it was as easy as slapping a charger on the wall and plugging in the car. You will need an intelligent charger/inverter, software, either a SMETS2 smart meter or a SMETS1 from a specific manufacturer (is.gd/SmartMeter) and a supplier supporting V2G.
@@ElectrAA Yeah, I believe our Hypervolt 2 wall charger does support bi-directional charging but so far very little knowledge/experienced trades people around the Edinburgh area to commit to the upgrade yet. Was quoted by an electrician they could fit 10 x 380w panels 3.6 solis hybrid inverter 1 x 5kw pure drive battery Total = £7100 Plus couple hundred for scaffolding hire but hard to tell if decent deal as no company has ever got back to give quotes :)
@@caolkyle I wish we could advise you. We have a good company here in Worcester that we used ourselves and have recommended to many people with excellent results. You could always ask . . . 2020solarpv.com/ 🙂 (They may know of a reliable company in your area.)
We have occasionally seen one of the Indra units for sale via the Facebook V2G-H UK Group facebook.com/groups/504403987059410 There are probably others, too. We can only suggest you keep your eyes open. Very few people leave V2G/V2G once on it. *Do remember though, just having a charger is not enough. The charger is only part of the story.* Do make sure you have an electricity supplier that runs a V2G scheme and can supply and support whatever software the charger uses. Thank you for watching and good luck! 🙂
Great video. Thank you for sharing your experience. VtoG or VtoH is an exciting possibility . Your video demonstrates that it already works.
With the increasing number of EVs, we could help reduce peak electrical consumption and better utilise renewable electricity generation.
Exactly! We'll keep you posted. Thank you for watching.
Hi, thank you for such interesting videos, and what a brilliant presenter you are.
As a 62kw leaf owner and looking at battery storage what a perfect way to use the massive battery sat outside the house.
Thank you once again and watch out top gear, a new presenter is right here!
Hi, Andy,
Thank you so much for your kind comments. 🙂
Right now, we are still waiting to see what happens next. OVO is promising that there will be a major announcement shortly; we suspect this may be the launch of an OVO V2H scheme. For the moment, therefore, we're holding on to see what's coming.
Again, thank you for watching and commenting.
Sheila.
this is the best series of EV videos I have seen in my life!
It's kind of you to watch and take the time to comment. Thank you!
Sheila.
👍👍👍 Very helpful, thank you 😊
Glad you found it interesting. Thank you for watching. 🙂
Thank you for your amazing video.🎉
Thank you for watching and for your kind comment.
Great content. Thanks for the effort,
Thank you - and thanks for watching. :)
Thank you very interesting, I hope to do something similar once it goes mainstream.
We hope everyone gets to do this!
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment, Terry.
Cheers,
Sheila.
A lovely, articulate and informative presentation. Cheers for this. My family here in New Zealand have a 7kw solar setup, a 40kw Leaf, a home charger in the garage and all works wonderfully as you accurately stated. v2G is being tested in Auckland and soon here in Christchurch where we live. We’re looking forward to the progress. People constantly inquire about the downside and we constantly declare there simply isn’t. Charging at home overnight using lower night rates, charging free with solar on sunny days, getting paid for exporting excess energy to the grid has exceeded our expectations. The Nissan Leaf performs flawlessly; no oil changes or tuneups and all quietly without fumes while never having to visit a petrol station. V2G will be a delightful addition to this already contented energy consumer.
Hi, Owen,
Thank you for your positive and uplifting comment. You're right, there is no downside to V2G / V2H / V2X. I am pleased this is catching on all over the world.
We're still waiting for everyone's ducks to fall in a row so we can change from V2G and test out V2H. I think we're getting close. We had a Webinar with Indra a couple of weeks ago and there is a second one scheduled which should give us details of the OTA charger upgrade. At that point, we will have to change electricity suppliers to get a low overnight rate, We'll keep everyone updated of course.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Sheila.
You put alot of time in to making this video, thank you, very intresting. !
Hi, Simon,
Thank you for your kind comments they are much appreciated and thank you for watching.
Sheila.
Thanks for keeping up with these excellent and informative videos! I'm hopeful more of these programs will eventually spring up in the states. Such a cool and useful way to monetize your EV when it's idle.
Hi, It's not only the money it's making the most of resources. I everyone did this (eventually) we would not need backup oil and coal power stations. Thank you for watching.
Thanks for this excellent video! Greedings from germany 😀 Here V2G and V2H is still not possible. Times have to change quick!
Hi, Michael, you are right!
V2G and V2H are the best and most practical ways to integrate electric vehicles into society whilst not overloading our national electric grids. In fact, V2G and V2H actively assist the grid, evening out loads and flattening the demand curve for electricity. It's an obvious way to go.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Sheila.
Very good video, thanks for sharing and good luck with the V2H!
You are welcome and thank you. 🙂
Thank you for your clear and informative presentation ❤
Thank you - and thank you for watching.
Thanks a lot for sharing your story! Looking forward to see your experience with V2H!
So are we! 🙂 Thank you for watching.
Awesome, great update! Can't wait to see the changes to Vehicle to Home.
Neither can we! 🙂
Thank you for watching.
That was really interesting, thank you. I've often wondered how it all worked! Good luck with changing suppliers and using more of your car's electricity at home. Looking forward to the next update!
Thank you and thanks for watching.
A really helpful video and thank you for taking the time to share. Would love to see how you get on with V2H. I’ve been on V2H with Indra since June 21 and it’s working well. I started on octopus agile import and export but it wasn’t working out so changed to octopus bulb and charge the car from 12.30 - 4.30 where I can nearly get enough to run the house for a full day in winter with minimal solar. I have a heat pump so my electricity demand is higher and have a busy family too.
Hi, Laurence,
It's always interesting to hear other people's experiences. Thank you for taking the time to write.
As of now, we haven't moved. We have had some very clear indications that OVO is about to launch its own V2H scheme. We're intrigued to see what that might bring so we haven't changed anything yet. The government subsidy is keeping our electricity costs within reason and with others, like yourself, gaining experience with the Indra scheme, we are holding out until the end of the subsidy scheme to see what OVO does. If nothing happens, we'll be joining you!
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Cheers,
Sheila.
Really interesting feedback, thank you for the informative video ! Looking forward to seeing how V2G and V2H is going to help energy transition at scale !
Thank you for watching and commenting, Firmin.
Thanks so much. Super useful.
We are glad you found it so; thank you for watching, Rhett.
Sheila.
Awesome update , thank you . .. I bet many Leaf owners would love a battery that balanced ???…a trial has just completed here in Australia but sadly it took so long the leaf is out of favor and so expensive still . Look forward to seeing your progress on v2h
Thanks again
Thank you for watching and for your kind comments Brent.
Sheila.
This is one of the best videos I have seen on UA-cam. I'm going to watch them all. I'm from the Netherlands where all benefits to own solar panels are diminishing thanks to our Government. Next month there is going to be new law and facts of the future will be known. We are looking to get the V2L working in our favour and hopefully we can make new investments to be even more self sufficient. I do like the gadget at 9.28 that shows Kw usage. Hopefully I can find info about it in one of yours videos. Thank you for sharing.
Hi, thank you for your kind comments. I hope the Netherlands government make sensible laws for you and you can start doing V2G and V2H soon.
The gadget at 9:28 is simply an "IHD" an In-Home display. In the UK, electricity supply companies have been giving them away when they install smart meters. The idea is that if you see what you are using and how much it's costing you will reduce your consumption. It does help. If you have a smart meter, there is probably a display that will work with it over your house WiFi. Here is an example but you will need to check compatibility with your meter. is.gd/IHD_Thing 🙂
Thank you for watching and commenting; and good luck!
Sheila.
I'm late to the EV eutopia, I have an 18yo 3.6kW SunPower PV system that survived a massive hail storm but I had to have it removed to replace my roof and we decided not to have it reattached because it was no longer meeting our needs and these days the real-estate of the old system could be better used by a modern installation. We also bought a 2024 iD.4 to replace our 2005 Prius with a recently dead AC system. With US incentives I'm thinking it might make sense to purchase a base Leaf and use it for V2H/G. Our electric utility just announced measures to protect against wildfire which essentially means they will cut our power off if our area is threatened by wind or downed power lines. We already have an adjusting rate schedule, things will be like CA before we know it. Using a $15k Leaf for V2H/G 1st and backup car 2nd could be reasonable for us.
Megawatts are normally denoted MW, mW is milliwatts.
Thank you for your interesting and informative post over the last 3 years. I’ve followed your posts with great interest since your first one in 2019.
You inspired me to purchase my current 62 kW Leaf and am currently waiting to find out if I’ve been accepted for Indra’s V2H trial so I’ll be in touch again to
share my thoughts in due course.
Hi, Michael,
Wow! It's wonderful to know our videos have inspired you.
We know you will love the Leaf - good luck getting onto the Indra scheme. Thank you for watching and yes, please do share what happens.
Cheers,
Sheila.
Interest videos, love your transparency with the numbers. Thank you for regular updates throughout the years.
I’ve recently signed up for Indra V2H trial, I’ve been told I’m past the first filter, awaiting technical survey. So I look forward to enjoying similar thing as you in a few months time. Difference is I have a 8 years old 24 kWh Leaf for school run (my plan is 10 kWh home, ~5 kWh school run, using 10-90%). Also need to charge a Tesla for 60 miles commute during cheap 4 hour Octopus Go.
Look forward to your next update on your V2H.
It sounds as though you are getting well organised. Good luck with your plans.
As for us, we have yet to actually make the move to V2H. With the UK government cap on electricity prices until next April, it seems with export at cost plus 11 pence, with a 62 kWh battery, we may still be better off where we are. We will summarise it all in due course.
Thank you for watching.
Sheila.
Thanks for sharing your experience and financials, Im sure Indra will accept you if not already for the V2H, I assume there won’t need much alterations to consume only from the car and not push extra energy to the grid, maybe just Kaluza config change.
We have had a couple of emails back and forth with Mike Schooling. We'll try to get him into our next update. I suspect that won't be too long.
Thank you for watching!
Sheila.
What an excellent video.....no frills, no gumf, just solid data. I'm going to watch your other videos. Am I right in thinking, only certain cars (probably newer ones) can use their battery in this way (i.e. sending stored power back to the grid?). I don't know how you're paying for the car, but your massively decreased monthly utility payments have effectively covered any monthly HP or lease payments. That's financially very savvy, well done.
Hi, Fred! 🙂
You ask, "Am I right in thinking, only certain cars (probably newer ones) can use their battery in this way?"
In a word, no. Right now, only vehicles with a CHAdeMO connector can do V2G - or V2H and that is actually one of the original technologies. At the outset, CHAdeMO was designed by the CHAdeMO Consortium in the noughties to be bi-directional - to be able to output or export power as well as charge the vehicle. The Japanese were the leaders in this because Japan has more than its fair share of natural disasters - tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and incredibly bad weather at times. The ability to run a house from the car during a power outage was important to them from the start.
Since then CCS has become the European standard for EV charging and CCS does not (yet) support bi-directionality. It will - we believe in around 2025-26 when the technology and protocols are updated. This does not mean, however, that EVs being made now with CCS will be able to do V2G in the future, they will not have the necessary electronics on board to do so.
Some newer vehicles are using the Type 2 port to do what is called V2L - Vehicle to Load, but this is not quite the same thing. There is no facility to synchronise with the grid. V2L is designed to (say) run a power tool or some heating when away from home and a power supply.
Right now, CHAdeMO is the name of the game.
Thank you for watching. Say hi to Wilma for us.
Sheila.
@@ElectrAA Thanks for that comprehensive reply. There seems to have been a lack of 'integrated thinking' from the Europeans around using the battery in a vehicle to support the grid.
@@fredflintstone1428 Only the Japanese saw the need for V2H and V2G so early on. Let's also point out Tesla hasn't built it in either - yet! 🙂 Thanks again for watching.
Great, clear and informative videos. I just missed out on the V2G trial with OVO as the pandemic hit (they retracted their agreement to install).. and I'm now just waiting to hear from Indra for acceptance on to the V2H trial in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed! Look forward to seeing another video with a V2H update in the future!
Thank you for your kind comments.
We strongly suspect OVO is about to launch its own V2H trial using the existing Indra chargers. For the moment, therefore, we have not changed anything. The government cap on electricity prices is keeping the lid on our costs at least until April.
I hope you get onto the Indra trial. You need their charger so that's the best route for you right now. Let us know what happens.
Cheers,
Sheila.
This is extremely interesting thank you. I'll be doing some more research on vehicle to home, which I presume can be DC-DC.
Hi,
To answer your question, no, not DC to DC.
All batteries (including those in the car) are, by their nature, DC - Direct Current. Batteries have a + and a - pole. Your house is of course AC - Alternating current at either 50 or 60 Hz depending on where in the world you live. Whichever way you go, Car to grid or grid to car, something has to change one to the other and in both V2G and V2H, the "charger" (as we conveniently call it) actually contains both a rectifier (AC to DC) AND an Inverter (DC to AC).
Charging through the CHAdeMO connection requires DC current to be supplied. This is rectified by the "charger" be it the one on your house wall or a huge 150kW one on motorway services. When the car is charging from a simple Type 2 connection, the rectifier is onboard the vehicle.
I hope this helps. Basically, you have to have a charger with both facilities in order to do either V2G or V2H. A regular Type 2 wall box doesn't do it.
Thank you for watching, we're glad you found our content interesting.
Cheers,
Sheila.
@@ElectrAA Hi Sheila, thanks. I'm looking at panels and a battery, with the battery on the DC side of the house hybrid inverter. So I figured the car could plug into the DC side of the hybrid inverter (just like a big house battery) but by implication you are saying that the house inverters do not come with that capability (yet). Cheers
@@HaxbyShed
Bear in mind, the CHAdeMO protocols are extensive. To initiate a charge or discharge via the CHAdeMO (DC) connector requires a great deal of data exchange over 8 separate communication cables. There are many tests that have to be passed before any current is allowed to flow in either direction. Have a quick scan of these diagrams: is.gd/diagram1 and is.gd/diagram2
Unless your hybrid inverter "speaks CHAdeMO" I'm afraid you won't be able to get DC from the vehicle.
Cheers,
S.
@@ElectrAA that is extremely useful thank you. The opportunity to integrate seems to be there but I can see that the equipment for EV cars and equipment for house generation/storage have developed separately. Cheers.
Great video, and the continuation of update on V2G usage in normal household. I was surprised the energy supplier don't update V2G price plan to reflect the cost of import price.
Every energy supplier is rethinking rates and tariffs at the moment. Things may settle down in a while and make more sense. We'll keep you informed.
Thank you for watching.
you are amazing! Well done video, very professional! We have 2013 Leaf and Kia EV6. I just discovered V2L with the kia and got interested by V2G/V2H with chademo. I live in Quebec and our electricity comes from water and it's the cheapest in Canada. Our winter are long and often lose power hence why the V2H looks interesting. There is this awesome new product call Dcbel r16 bidirectional charger which does all those cool things, only available in California. Anyway keep up your amazing content!
Hi, Jerome,
Thank you for your kind comments. V2H sounds perfect for your needs in Quebec. As you will guess, we have not come across the charger/inverter you mention, but it sounds ideal. The only thing missing will be a changeover switch that isolates your house from the grid when there is a power outage and connects to the inverter instead and vice versa when the power returns. Big Clive on UA-cam dissected one a few years back: ua-cam.com/video/babtv00R-Nc/v-deo.html
Good luck setting it up and thank you for watching.
Sheila.
Very interesting. Here in Thailand we have a fixed rate feed-in credit which pays 40% of the purchase price of electricity. To qualify your solar system has to be no more than 5kW. I have chosen self consumption over feed-in. As there's no winter in the tropics it is possible to run my house and EV about 99% off-grid all year from solar. My next EV will have V2L so I can trickle charge my house batteries during the monsoon season. Looking forward to V2G becoming more widespread.
Being able to use solar every day of the 365 must be great. I wish we could do that!
Thank you for watching.
S.
Thanks for your clear, well presented video. I'm picking up my second hand leaf tomorrow.
But just yesterday I heard from Indra that they declined my application to join the v2h trial.
The reason I'm buying the Leaf is to partake in v2h so I'm very disappointed. Infra say not to contact them but this puts me in a bind, do I cancel the car purchase or might Indra sell me a bidirectional charger.
I see that you know Indra, might you know how best to proceed?
There are two reasons you may have been refused. Technical or geographical reasons or simply because the numbers are full. If the former, I doubt you will be able to take part - not just yet anyway.
I would write to Mike Schooling at Indra either via Email or via the V2G-H UK Facebook Group at facebook.com/groups/504403987059410 and explain you have bought a car especially to participate and ask if you could be included either now or in the next draft.
Mike is a very reasonable chap and always open to suggestions, so it's worth asking. It may be worth saying Sheila and Stephen suggested you contact him directly.
Good luck and thank you for watching - let us know what happens.
Great video. Did you make it on to the Indra V2H scheme? I have just put my deposit down on a V2H charger, which I will use with Octopus Go and my solar panels.
Hi, Ian,
No, we haven't gone to the Indra scheme, at least, not yet. Originally OVO were due to stop the V2G scheme in January, but we were getting very strong messages that they were about to launch their own V2H scheme. They have now postponed the end of their V2G programme until March at which time they have promised a new significant announcement.
So, right now the government subsidy along with V2G and our solar panels are keeping our payments reasonable so we'll wait to see what OVO do. It could be interesting.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Sheila.
At face value it appears to be a no-brainer to use the battery in your EV as a power source, not just for driving. Couple that with roof solar and cheaper low rate electricity from the grid many of the issues with renewables disappear. Or am I missing something? A huge thank you to Electra AA.
No, you're not missing anything, Tom, you're spot on! 🙂
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Sheila.
Just came across your channel. Thanks for the great insight, much appreciated. I would like to explore this further; which company would you recommend for this service..?
Hi, unfortunately, it's not a single company that can provide this sort of service. As you might have seen in our first video, it takes several organisations to come together to make V2G work.
1) You need the hardware. Actually, that's the easiest part, our charger comes from Indra - www.indra.co.uk/v2h/
2) Next, you need software (the controlling App) and a hosting service. In our case, that is done by Kaluza - www.kaluza.com/vehicle-to-grid-v2g/
3) Most importantly though, you need an electricity supplier that operates a V2G scheme and can interface with the above. In our case, that is OVO - www.ovoenergy.com/electric-cars/vehicle-to-grid-charger
You cannot expect any random electricity supplier to run a V2G scheme; it's no use having the hardware and software if your electricity supplier has no back-office systems that can remotely interrogate hundreds of systems for import/export data and manage the complex accounting and billing.
So - what do you do? Talk with electricity suppliers serving your area and ask if they are running a V2G or V2H scheme. If yes, then you are on track to continue and find out what hardware and software are required etc.
Sorry, there is no simple "one-click" answer here. Most of the schemes you will find around are "trials" as indeed, ours is; we are one of just 330 households on project SCIURUS - the OVO/Kaluza/Indra V2G trial - and that is currently the largest worldwide.
We believe V2G and V2H will come to everyone given time, but it's not universally available yet. It will be better when cars with CCS charge connectors can join in but that is still 3-4 years away.
Good luck!
Sheila. 🚙
Wow, I have a 2013 Leaf. Maybe I'll get a vehicle to grid or vehicle to home system.
Hi,
Thank you for watching and commenting. If you have a 2013 Leaf it will have a 24 kWh battery, which is not ideal for doing Vehicle to Grid or Vehicle to Home. The reason being, that you should always leave enough in your car battery for emergencies. Also, a 2013 vehicle will likely have lost some range, so using it with V2G or V2H might leave only 5 to 10 miles for emergencies. A 30 kWh battery is regarded as the minimum size for V2G/H.
We love encouraging people to join us but a 2013 Leaf is not ideal.
Again, thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.
Cheers,
Sheila.
how do you wire into the home from the car to do this wonderful thing.. thank, you super vid
Hi, Patrick,
I have uploaded a photo for you: www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/coxbwCtn3xeLUMqT29nJHoqpqccVlfv5u1drvmCyUYS
Basically, the connection is made as follows:
The incoming (and outgoing) mains connection first comes into the property via the company fuse - currently rated at 80 amps although we could go to 100 amps in the future if ever needed.
Next in line is the smart meter that measures the current in both directions and reports regularly both to Indra and to Octopus.
Next is a new, additional, isolation switch so the entire system can be switched off so it can be worked on when necessary.
Next is a new junction box that splits the single connection into two . . .
The first of these connections goes into the house to the usual domestic consumer unit in the kitchen. The consumer unit also connects to the solar panels via a generation meter in the kitchen that totals up the output from our solar panels (currently around 28mWh since we had them installed).
The second connection from the junction box goes to a new, separate isolation switch just for the EV system.
Then there is an external circuit breaker for the EV system only.
This leads in turn on to an external power switch immediately before the charger so we can switch off the charger (in order to reboot it for example).
Finally, the charger is connected.
The charger will always take a few watts of power from the mains so it can synchronise its 50Hz output with the incoming mains. (The solar panels inverter is doing the same of course). The charger does all the clever work of matching the load from the house (minus what's coming directly from the solar panels) with what it's taking from the car. Basically, when the charger is generating electricity to keep our use of mains electricity as close to zero as possible it takes charge from the car and feeds it backwards through the set-up as just described. When it's exporting to the grid it will take up to 6kW from the car and feed it backwards into the grid, effectively running the smart meter in reverse and crediting us. The software changes modes at different times of day to minimise our charged-for electricity.
(An item to note is when this picture was taken, the CT clamp was on the *wrong cable for V2H!* This simple fault caused all sorts of headaches initially. More about this in the next episode. Maybe we should do a section on how it's all connected in the next video!) 🙂
Thank you for watching and asking the question.
Cheers,
Sheila.
Brilliant. This could really help a lot with bills for the less well off when second hand EVs get cheaper
Indeed it could. A 30 kWh Leaf can cope with V2G and they are available second-hand now for around £7,000 - £8,000.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@ElectrAA half the price of a Tesla Powerwall and 3x the capacity!!
@@nzfwoo9753 I actually had that in the script, but deleted it because it sounded a bit smug and gloating. :-)
@@ElectrAA Thanks for the info, I already have solar and now want a battery system, if I went out and purchased a leaf, how would I set up v2h please? Any chance you could do a step by step video guide please? Cheers
@@shaunwhiteley3544 Hi, Shaun,
Our installation was done as part of a government-funded trial across 330 UK households, so the equipment and procedures were pretty well planned out for us in advance.
OVO supplied the electricity, feed-in payments and accounting, Indra designed and built the charger/inverters, Keir was contracted to do the groundwork and Kaluza wrote the software and the App. In essence, we just said "yes please!" 🙂
The installation video is as close to a "step-by-step" as we can show you. ua-cam.com/video/-h_5QHUOQ1Q/v-deo.html Yours however will undoubtedly be different.
Basically, you need all the above elements to make V2G or V2H work. You will need to find out which suppliers in your area do such a scheme, what software is available for that scheme, what chargers that software supports and so on. There is (as yet) no simple "do this, do that and it works" set of instructions that we can pass on.
Keep watching what is available in your area. V2G and V2H are both really new. It will get easier, but right now it's not a "buy it and fit it" scenario. I'm sorry we can't be more helpful.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
Sheila.
Given all the increases in supply cost is it still (IYO) worth doing if you own a leaf (no solar) charging at night and using during the day? V2H in particular
Hi, Ian,
There is no easy answer to your question. I think you will have to do the sums for your individual circumstances. You know all the variables:
How often and for how long the vehicle is at home and can be connected
Your average summer and winter electricity consumption
You can research the various available tariffs and their price per unit (kWh) at different times of day and night
The cost of purchase and installation, and thus . . .
. . . the possible and likely break-even/payback period, when and indeed, if this is going to happen before you change your car.
Sorry to be vague but we really can't advise on individual circumstances.
Cheers,
Sheila.
Thanks Sheila, another very informative video.
Do you have any details of the OVO tariff and especially when they took leccy from the vehicle and were/are you able to sync this with the peak usage times if OVO give an enhanced rate during these periods (breakfast and dinner times).
How much control did you have over export amount and time of day please. :)
HI, Mark,
How much control did we have over export amount and time of day? Almost none! 🙂
The only control we have is to specify how much of our battery the grid can use and if/when we want the car charged every morning. Have a look at how the graphs changed when, during the lockdowns, we let the grid (i.e., OVO) have full control over when the car charged and discharged. Here's a timed link: ua-cam.com/video/7h9EecmLatY/v-deo.html
In other words, OVO controlled when the car charged and discharged.
Other than saying something like "we want the car charged to 80% by 9 am every day", we have no control at all. The OVO tariff we were on, and the tariff they wish us to move to, are described in this video.
Thank you for watching.
Very nice series to watch and the journey you had. For the initial setup, did OVO cover the costs for the installation as it was a trial scheme?
Will be interesting to see if you go ahead with V2H as I've tried looking into this myself for my 71 plate Leaf, I thought at first a normal home charger would support bi-directional so was over the moon that in theory I could charge to 100% for free while at work and then dump it all into the house but obviously not as simple as that and seen some information that to do that, you'd need to invert the cars invertor to do that (safe to say I didn't do that lol)
Also interesting that OVO has been charging that much, I'm guessing it's a fixed contract you took out?
As pre October 1st we were paying 29.32p/kw and 55.69p/standing charge, OVO estimated this would go up to 36.51p/kw and 56.93p/standing
but looking at the current tariff it's at 34.77p/kw and 54.22p/standing. We're on the rolling variable contract so obviously can bounce at anytime.
I enquired (4th August 2022) about OVO myDrive as it'd then be 5p/kw for electricity going to the car but then the normal electricity use would skyrocket:
62.17p per KWh
Standing Charge: 56.16p per KWh
I've been on track for the 5000miles/year so makes no sense to take this deal unless I was constantly doing 5-95% charging each day/during the day too which is too much stress
I've also been struggling to find any available companies in Edinburgh to come fit solar panels. As if I did also go with V2H then could essentially save money on the home battery and just use the cars battery as the home battery :)
Hi,
The UK government paid for the installation as part of Project Sciurus, the world's largest V2G trial to date. Had we had to pay for it ourselves I doubt we could have afforded it. We were one of 330 households equipped with V2H as a trial. That trial is now finished, and you can read the closing report here: www.cenex.co.uk/app/uploads/2021/05/Sciurus-Trial-Insights.pdf
However, OVO had agreed to continue supporting the scheme until 2025.
Here are the details of the Indra charger/inverter we have. www.indra.co.uk/v2g (Keep scrolling down.) Our contract with OVO started at a flat buy rate of 14p per kWh and sell for 26p. When electricity costs started to rise, OVO spontaneously raised our sell rate to 32p. Nice of them!
I'm not going to comment on all the rates you quote. There are sooo many to choose from and they are all changing so fast, that any comments made now will probably be null and void in a week! I will say, it looks as though we're going to move to Ocopus Agile and have Indra reprogram our charger/inverter to V2H - see www.indra.co.uk/v2h We're just waiting for a few answers to some final questions. We will of course update everyone in another video in due course.
Thank you for watching and commenting.
@@caolkyle That's the plan of course and exactly what we have been doing and will hopefully continue to do with V2H.
However, I wish it was as easy as slapping a charger on the wall and plugging in the car. You will need an intelligent charger/inverter, software, either a SMETS2 smart meter or a SMETS1 from a specific manufacturer (is.gd/SmartMeter) and a supplier supporting V2G.
@@ElectrAA Yeah, I believe our Hypervolt 2 wall charger does support bi-directional charging but so far very little knowledge/experienced trades people around the Edinburgh area to commit to the upgrade yet.
Was quoted by an electrician they could fit 10 x 380w panels
3.6 solis hybrid inverter
1 x 5kw pure drive battery
Total = £7100
Plus couple hundred for scaffolding hire but hard to tell if decent deal as no company has ever got back to give quotes :)
@@caolkyle I wish we could advise you. We have a good company here in Worcester that we used ourselves and have recommended to many people with excellent results. You could always ask . . . 2020solarpv.com/ 🙂 (They may know of a reliable company in your area.)
any idea how to buy a used v2g charger? I llok for it but I can't find. I can't apply to trial because outside UK. Tnx for the info
We have occasionally seen one of the Indra units for sale via the Facebook V2G-H UK Group facebook.com/groups/504403987059410 There are probably others, too.
We can only suggest you keep your eyes open. Very few people leave V2G/V2G once on it. *Do remember though, just having a charger is not enough. The charger is only part of the story.* Do make sure you have an electricity supplier that runs a V2G scheme and can supply and support whatever software the charger uses.
Thank you for watching and good luck! 🙂