New project trials EV to building energy storage

ENGIE, Hitachi Europe and Mitsubishi Motors have joined forces for the ‘smart grid charger’ project

A new project is trialling the use of electric vehicle (EV) batteries as energy storage for office buildings.

ENGIE, Hitachi Europe and Mitsubishi Motors linked the first “vehicle to everything” (V2X) charger to the French utility’s office building in the Dutch city of Zaandam.

Hitachi’s V2X charger can not only recharge EVs but also discharge the energy back into the building or the grid.

It is connected to the building’s energy supply and when it generates more solar power than necessary, the excess energy is stored in the EV battery.

It therefore acts as an energy storage source as well as an emergency power supply.

Hans Boot, COO at ENGIE Services Netherlands said: “This project provides a powerful demonstration of the outstanding effectiveness of energy storage technology. This charger exceeds smart charging as we know it and is basically the first real ‘smart grid charger’. We hope to begin installing this system for all companies who are eager to take the next step towards becoming truly energy neutral.”

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