GridMotion Project: reducing electric vehicle usage cost thanks to smart charging process

Groupe PSA, Direct Energie, Enel, Nuvve, Proxiserve and the Technical University of Denmark have launched the GridMotion project with the aim of evaluating possible savings achieved by real-life electric vehicle (EV) users through the implementation of smart charging and discharging strategies for EVs.

An electric driver’s electricity bill could be reduced, with no impact on transportation use, by shifting charging times from periods when electricity prices are higher to periods when electricity prices are lower. Even further savings could be achieved by providing grid balancing services through a Vehicle to Grid (V2G) system.

GridMotion partners have just combined their complementary expertise to launch a 2-year demo project. The project is intended to evaluate the savings EV users could achieve under real-life conditions with the implementation of smart charging and discharging.

The project will be carried out with two complementary types of users:

• 50 Peugeot iOn, Partner Electric, Citroën C-ZERO or Berlingo owners will test “smart” unidirectional charging, in line with their mobility needs, when electricity prices are generally lower, such as night-time in France;
• a fleet of 15 B2B EV Peugeot iOn or Citroën C-ZERO vehicles with Enel bidirectional charging stations testing “smart” charging and discharging (V2G services). This fleet will provide grid balancing services through short charging and discharging cycles, again carried out in line with mobility needs. Charging is expected to be carried out when there is surplus electricity supply on the grid, while discharging is expected to be carried out when there is surplus electricity demand on the grid.

Project partners are looking for volunteers to start the experiment. Participants should be based in France and own a Peugeot or Citroën electric vehicle produced from January 2015 onwards.
The role of each partner is detailed below:

• Groupe PSA  is in charge of recruiting customers and managing the project;
• Direct Energie will act as an aggregator towards RTE and will make bids in the electricity and reserve markets by taking advantage of EV battery flexibility;
• Nuvve will be in charge of controlling the charging/discharging patterns of electric vehicles;
• Enel will provide the bidirectional charging stations and its expertise in smart grids;
• Proxiserve will install the B2C and B2B charging stations;
• DTU will provide academic support and testing systems.

Plug-in vehicle (PEV) sales grew by 42% between 2015 and 2016 worldwide. This growth, fostered by technological improvements, falling prices and increasing pressure on air pollution, is expected to accelerate in the coming years. The GridMotion project is seeking to demonstrate how PEVs harness demand response and ancillary services to have a beneficial impact on grid stability and user income.