Electric vehicle (EV) drivers could shave hundreds of pounds off their energy bills by feeding the surplus energy from their battery into the grid. 

A consortium of big players, including OVO Energy, Volkswagen UK and smart energy company Indra, has launched a trial to test how the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology could benefit customers and companies.

V2X technology enables drivers to power their homes with their EVs, transforming their EVs into backup power sources to rely on during blackouts and selling surplus energy back to the grid.

Partners said the project will build on the ‘world’s first and largest’ deployment of domestic vehicle-to-grid power by Kaluza’s software and Indra’s hardware that enabled drivers to earn up to £800 for selling energy from their batteries to the grid.

Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart commented: “We want to make smart charging an easier choice for drivers of EVs, whether that is charging on the driveway, at the workplace, or parked on the street. To do that we need to build new network infrastructure at pace, using the latest available technologies.”

Scott Neuman, Chief Executive Officer at Kaluza, said: “V2X will have a transformative effect on decarbonising our energy system but only if we make it accessible and affordable for all.”