The UK government is awarding almost £30 million ($41.5 million) to 21 vehicle-to-grid R&D projects, which will demonstrate how energy stored in EV batteries could be borrowed by the electricity system during peak hours.

Led by EDF Energy, the V2GO program will be a large-scale demonstration of V2G charging in Oxford using 100 electric fleet vehicles (cars and vans) from a number of organizations including delivery and taxi companies. The project will evaluate potential business models for fleet operators’ use of EVs and their suitability for V2G charging.

Companies that will receive government funding under the program include SSE Services, Nissan, OVO Energy, Octopus Energy, Cisco, Flexisolar and AT Kearney.

“As the number of electric vehicles grows and their battery capabilities increase, there is a huge opportunity for them to make a significant contribution to a smart grid,” said UK Transport Minister Jesse Norman. “These projects are at the cutting edge of their field. Just like the visionary designs of Brunel and Stephenson in transport, they could revolutionise the ways in which we store and manage electricity.

“We have shown that growing the economy while cutting emissions, can, and should, go hand in hand,” said Business Minister Richard Harrington. “Vehicle-to-grid technology provides another opportunity for the UK to showcase to the world our leading expertise in game-changing automotive and low carbon technologies.”

Source: Gov.uk via Green Car Congress