NewMotion trials V2G technology in Amsterdam

NewMotion has installed the world’s first public charge points that can charge electric vehicles and deliver electricity back to the grid.

The company launched the pilot in Amsterdam alongside grid company Alliander, technology company Enervalis and innovation platform Amsterdam Smart City.

V2G technology enables the electricity stored in the batteries of electric cars to be made available to the grid at times of high demand.

In the case of low demand, electric vehicles can be recharged as normal.

In the future, electric drivers who use this technology will have the opportunity to receive a fee for their contribution back to the grid.

Grid operators can use the storage capacity of electric cars to balance peaks and troughs in energy supply and demand.

The Amsterdam pilot is part of the City-Zen programme, which aims to create more energy-efficient cities throughout Europe.

Most of the V2G-charge points used in the pilot are located at public locations throughout Amsterdam.

However, charge points are also located at the offices of accounting firm PwC and at a large sports facility. At these locations, electric vehicles can either be charged or provide electricity directly to the internal network of the organisation. This exchange is called Vehicle to Office.

Sytse Zuidema, CEO, NewMotion, said: “In the Netherlands alone, we’re expecting to see around one million electric vehicles on the roads by 2025.

“At the same time, the decentralised generation of electricity through solar panels and wind turbines is responsible for an ever-increasing share of the total electricity supply.

“Due to the irregular availability of sun and wind, it is imperative that storage capacity becomes available, so that sustainably generated electricity can be stored for peak moments in energy demand. These developments pave the way for the broad deployment of V2G technology.”