In March 2022, the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ, formerly BEIS) launched Phase 1 of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) innovation programme
- The programme allocated £2 million of funding for research and development projects aimed at:Unlocking and expanding the energy flexibility potential of EV bi-directional charging technologies and business models in the UK
- Accelerating the commercialisation of V2X technologies and services
- Increasing business and consumer interest in V2X
- Bringing together diverse stakeholders across the energy and transport sectors to overcome barriers to V2X deployment
- V2BUILD was one of 17 projects funded during Phase 1
- Phase 2 of the programme is now in progress providing £9.4 million to support small-scale V2X demonstrations
Objectives of the V2BUILD project
- Bi-directional chargers are a new technology that has not yet been deployed on a commercial basis. Initial focus in the sector has been on the potential for the technology for domestic buildings, and little work has been carried out to understand the potential for the technology in commercial buildings
- The Vehicle-to-Building User Interface Learning Device (V2BUILD) project aimed to increase understanding of the technical and economic potential for Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) technology for commercial buildings in two main ways:
- Conduct detailed modelling of V2B operation in different commercial buildings to understand where V2B could be commercially viable
- Develop a user-friendly online tool to allow stakeholders such as property managers and electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) to engage with the results of the modelling to increase awareness of the potential for V2B