Batteries not only power electric vehicles, but can also provide energy to constructions and stabilize power systems through two-way charging.
Electric vehicles now often come with highly advanced batteries that are typically powered either from a connection to the energy grid or by solar panels installed on their rooftops.
can be used as a storage option for both houses and the electrical grid, facilitating a two-way charging process which can lower utility bills.
How does it function, and are there any drawbacks?
What is bidirectional charging?
Electrified vehicle batteries from the charging station.
A fully charged battery can not only power the electric motor, electronics, and lights in a vehicle, as well as its heating system, but also external devices such as a portable refrigerator while camping, a power tool like a drill on a construction site, or even charging another electric vehicle. These additional capabilities are known as V2D (vehicle-to-device) and V2L (vehicle-to-load).
They can not only charge car batteries, but also supply electricity to entire buildings using vehicle-to-home technology, or feed electricity back into the public grid via vehicle-to-grid technology.
Currently, bidirectional devices can only be found in a limited number of charging station locations.
What is the electricity storage capacity of a car battery?
The cost and capacity of electric vehicle batteries are decreasing. The Tesla Model Y has a battery with at least 62 kilowatt-hours, while the VW ID.4 has 77 kilowatt-hours and the Renault R5 has at least 40 kilowatt-hours.
For comparison, the electricity usage of a two-person household in Germany is approximately 54 kWh per week. A mid-range electric vehicle can fully charge its battery and, as a result, supply all the electricity needed for this household over a whole week.
Additionally, the new ID.4 and R5 models are designed to power buildings and supply electricity to the grid already.
A bidirectional charging station allows solar power to flow from the roof of a house to the vehicle’s battery during the day and then back into the building from the vehicle at night. This enables residents to use affordable solar power both day and night.
Homeowners can save on the additional cost of installing separate battery storage units by linking their solar system to electric cars. In individual houses, solar battery systems typically have a capacity of between 5 to 10 kWh, and the cost can be up to €10,000 ($10,440).
According to Robert Kohrs, an expert in smart energy grids at the Fraunhofer Institute, a German research body,” said Robert Kohrs, an expert in smart energy grids at German research body, the Fraunhofer Institute. “If you do it correctly, controlled charging and discharging can increase battery life by 5 to 10%.
How can electric vehicles contribute to grid stability?
Cars are driven an average of less than one hour a day in Germany. During the time that e-cars are parked, grid operators could utilize the batteries to store electricity temporarily, thereby offsetting fluctuations in the power grid.
This will help utilize the increasing amount of solar and wind energy that is feeding into national grids. In recent years, this has accounted for 70% of the power generated in Denmark and nearly 50% in Germany — although it is often available when it’s not needed.
This renewable energy system can hold excess power generated by these clean energy sources. When electricity demand surges, the excess power can flow back into the power grid. This also alleviates the strain on power plants fueled by gas or coal during peak usage, requiring less battery storage to maintain a stable electricity grid.
The savings potential for the shared use of car batteries in the EU could reach €22 billion annually, according to a study recently conducted by the European environmental organization, Transport & Environment.
According to the report, electric vehicles (EVs) could supply up to 9% of the EU’s electricity needs, and up to 20% temporarily, positioning them as a vital component of the electricity infrastructure.
According to the projection, the planet will need battery storage systems with a capacity of approximately seventy-four billion kilowatt-hours globally by the year twenty-fifty.
By 2050, the number of electric vehicles worldwide could reach 1.5 billion, according to the researchers. If the batteries in these vehicles average 60 kWh per vehicle, the total storage capacity of the global fleet will be approximately 90 billion kWh of electricity.
What are the advantages of car batteries for vehicles, residential buildings, and the electrical grid?
According to the Fraunhofer study on EV power integration, car owners could save between €31 and €780 annually by sharing the battery power with either their home or the power grid.
In France, private Renault R5 electric vehicle owners were given 6,200 miles of free driving on electricity, provided they installed a bidirectional charging station in their car for an average of 15 hours daily.
Raffeiner said to portalnusantara.biz.idthat additional such offers are in the process of being developed.
According to a survey organized by energy provider Eon, 77 percent of respondents would utilize bidirectional charging technology to power their own structures, while 65 percent would support electrical grids.
Experts suggest that the next generation of private and public charging stations should operate in both directions wherever feasible.
The Fraunhofer study estimated that this would raise the initial costs by approximately $110 for small charging stations (up to 22 kilowatts), and by roughly $280 for a fast charging station.
These additional costs would be recouped within a few months of usage through resulting savings.
Sources:
https://www.transportenvironment.org/uploads/files/2024_10_Study_V2G_EU-Potential_Final.pdf
This article was originally written in its original language.
Author: Gero Rueter
