New Delhi: Think about an electrical car (EV) that’s not simply as a mode of transport however as a lifeline for various settings—city, semi-urban, and rural. Throughout energy outages, pure disasters, or native vitality wants, its battery can energy a kinara store, gentle up school rooms, help rescue operations, run a small water pump, or present energy backup at a tenting web site. In essence, V2G expertise can remodel the darkest nights into beacons of hope.This imaginative and prescient is not far-fetched. In India, the place dependable vitality entry stays a problem in lots of areas, Car-to-Grid (V2G) expertise is anticipated to rewrite the vitality playbook. V2G facilitates bi-directional vitality move, permitting EVs to switch surplus electrical energy again to the grid or straight energy localised wants when not serving their main function. It additionally helps combine renewable vitality extra successfully by storing surplus vitality from sources like photo voltaic or wind and releasing it when wanted, thus reducing operational prices. Moreover, V2G is seen to assist in demand administration by discharging vitality from EVs throughout peak instances, lowering pressure on the grid and avoiding costly vitality sources.With India’s bold objectives for widespread EV adoption and reaching Internet Zero emissions, integrating V2G may revolutionise vitality administration. For this imaginative and prescient to grow to be a actuality, stakeholders should collaborate. Investments in sensible and appropriate grid infrastructure, standardised vitality switch protocols, superior grid administration techniques and instruments, real-time monitoring techniques, and incentives for EV house owners are important. Due to this fact, creating a brand new income stream for EV house owners, and lowering prices for the grid, resulting in a extra environment friendly and sustainable vitality system within the nation.
“V2G expertise helps a round economic system by optimising vitality use, enabling electrical automobiles to behave as cell vitality storage gadgets. This enhances renewable vitality integration, balances provide and demand, reduces grid pressure, minimises reliance on fossil fuels, and lowers emissions,” explains Jeffry Jacob, Accomplice and Nationwide Sector Chief for Automotive, KPMG in India.
Jacob additional notes that, in India, “some Discoms are already exploring this expertise and have partnered with U.S. universities to guage and pilot V2G initiatives. Moreover, a number of vitality software program corporations are engaged on growing bi-directional battery-swapping techniques to help V2G purposes.”
A spokesperson from Adani Whole Gasoline, says, “Varied analysis establishments and universities in India are conducting research on V2G expertise to grasp its feasibility and advantages within the Indian context. OEMs like Tata Motors and Mahindra Electrical have reportedly proven curiosity in V2G expertise and are prone to incorporate it into their future fashions.” At the moment, no fashions have V2G expertise. The spokesperson additional provides that the Indian authorities has been supportive of EV adoption and renewable vitality integration. “Insurance policies and incentives are being developed to encourage the usage of V2G expertise.”
Says, Anand Kulkarni, Chief Merchandise Officer, Head of HV Packages and Buyer Service, Tata Passenger Electrical Mobility Ltd., “V2G turns the battery of an EV to a multi-purpose answer, the place it’s not simply used for propulsion of a car, however can also be used for storing and redistributing vitality wherever the requirement could come up. This maximises the utility of a battery and in-turn lowering the requirement for extra vitality storage techniques for the general grid.”
Highlighting that V2G expertise is in at a nascent stage in India, Kulkarni additional provides, “there are a number of challenges the answer wants to beat earlier than being adopted extensively by customers corresponding to shopper consciousness, vary anxiousness, evolving coverage framework, excessive upfront prices, electrical energy pricing and grid administration, and knowledge safety and privateness considerations.”
“Grid stability at micro and macro degree is utmost essential for the expansion of electrical mobility. V2G expertise paves the way in which to unravel this elementary problem and in addition can revolutionize the EV market by remodeling EVs into greater than only a mode of transport,” says Dr. Nishanth Dongari, Founder and MD, Pure EV.
In a bid to make V2G expertise to work easily, it must have a sturdy two-way vitality alternate and real-time coordination with the grid. A few of the key applied sciences which are required for a easy operation of V2G embrace corresponding to;
- ISO 15118 (EV Communication Normal): A essential worldwide commonplace for communication between EVs and charging stations. It permits for safe, automated communication and allows capabilities like plug-and-charge, billing, and V2G operation. ISO 15118 defines how knowledge, corresponding to charging standing, battery degree, and vitality consumption, is exchanged between the EV and the charger.
- OCPP (Open Cost Level Protocol): OCPP is a communication commonplace between charging stations and central administration techniques. It allows distant monitoring, management, and optimisation of charging stations. For V2G techniques, OCPP permits charging stations to report on vitality flows, standing updates, and different essential knowledge wanted for grid administration.
- IEC 61851 and IEC 63110: These are different worldwide requirements for EV charging techniques. Whereas IEC 61851 defines the essential points of EV charging, IEC 63110 focuses on the communication between EVs and the grid, enabling efficient integration for sensible charging and V2G techniques.
Samkit Shah, Co-Founding father of Jitendra EV, highlights essential considerations surrounding V2G expertise, significantly cybersecurity and battery degradation. “We have to have sturdy software program techniques that strengthen cybersecurity and supply security from numerous exterior threats,” he emphasises.
Whereas acknowledging V2G as a transformative innovation, Shah factors out that the adoption of solid-state batteries may additional improve its viability. “Stable-state batteries are a game-changer. With considerably decrease thermal run charges, they scale back the dangers of battery degradation,” he explains. “These batteries boast as much as 10,000 charging cycles on the cell degree, translating to a lifespan of greater than 27 years.” This shift to superior battery expertise may deal with key challenges and amplify the long-term advantages of V2G, making EVs much more sustainable and environment friendly in vitality administration.
Explaining that V2G expertise presents substantial financial advantages for each the grid and shoppers, Kumar Ramamurthi – CEO, BAXY Mobility, says, “For the grid, it enhances stability, reduces peak demand prices, and minimises the necessity for extra energy crops by utilising EVs as decentralised vitality storage. For shoppers, V2G gives alternatives to earn income by promoting extra vitality again to the grid and reduces electrical energy prices by optimised charging throughout off-peak hours. We see V2G as a win-win innovation that not solely helps a sustainable vitality ecosystem but in addition makes EV possession extra financially rewarding.”
