Ford wants its electric car owners to widely adopt bi-directional charging technology, or ‘V2G’ (vehicle-to-grid). Technology that, among other things, can help the network during periods of maximum energy demand. To do so, the brand is launching an interesting measure in California (USA): pay owners to use their electric vehicles to feed the grid.
For this action, included in the ‘Emergency Load Reduction Program’ (which is part of a larger plan to alleviate the load on the region’s electrical grid), Ford will have the collaboration of a public service provider from Southern California, Southern California Edison.
Getting paid to charge your electric car and return energy to the grid is not feasible in Spain
Pioneer in this field, this is not the first time that the oval brand has promoted an initiative of this type: last year Ford has already partnered with Honda and BMW to create a platform that would allow affiliated owners to “earn economic benefits through a range of managed charging and energy exchange services.”
A few months ago Ford also carried out in Maryland an initiative together with the companies Sunrun and Charge Station Pro, through which three owners of a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck were chosen for a curious incentive program: customers “will receive a payment based on the amount of energy shared, which is estimated $800 over the four months of the program“Sunrun announced then. This is coming to an end soon.
Now it’s different. Far from being limited to a few owners, Ford and the California-based electric company’s action is intended to extend much further. As announced, “drivers of electric vehicles in Ford’s California Power Response program will earn $1 per kWh of reduced energy during grid peaks, creating financial incentives never before possible with gas vehicles.”
This move is expected to provide valuable relief to the power grid during times of high energy demand, while paving the way for future innovations in the field of bi-directional charging, energy management and grid interaction.
Paying $1 per kWh is more than it seems, as it is more than what it typically costs to use a fast charger in the region, which is around $0.50 per kWhIt is also more than what it usually costs an EV owner to charge overnight at home, although the final price always depends on other factors such as charging time, etc.
In this sense, according to Calculations by several electric car owners in the US posted on Redditthe costs of overnight charging at home are between 0.10 and 0.20 kWh per hour, “assuming we have a 40 to 80 kWh battery pack and a charging efficiency of 90%,” they specify. As for the Ford F-150 Lightning, with its 98 kWh or 131 kWh battery pack, the price is expected to be more adjusted.
Bi-directional charging technology, or V2G, is slowly becoming more widespread, with more and more car manufacturers and power companies joining forces to offer this functionality. This solution, which makes it possible to intelligently save energy and money during off-peak hours to redirect it during more expensive times or to provide light during a blackout, has many advantages… but it is not without its drawbacks.
At least until it becomes more widespread and the pressure of the ‘law of supply and demand’ comes into play, one of the most important is price. Initiatives such as Ford’s in California (and unthinkable in Spain, at least in the short term) could help to lower prices.
Today, the total cost of the system (including charging and installation) can range from $10,000 to $30,000. That is, from just over €9,000 to more than €27,200 at the current exchange rate. In the latter case, we are talking about approximately 40% of the cost of a compatible F-150 Lightningsince V2G technology requires an extended-range battery, which is logically more expensive than the standard one.
However, pioneering initiatives such as this one are driving forward bi-directional charging technology, which not only represents an innovation in electric mobility: it also opens up new possibilities for electric vehicle owners, allowing them to earn money by feeding energy back into the grid during peak demand.
This system optimizes energy use, but also contributes to grid stability, an important factor in achieving a more sustainable and collaborative energy future.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
