WORLD-FIRST ENERGY TRIAL WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO POWER THEIR HOMES FROM THEIR ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• Pioneering ‘‘Vehicle-to-Everything’ (V2X) programme from software innovator Kaluza in partnership with OVO Energy, Volkswagen Group UK and Indra 
• It follows OVO’s landmark ‘Vehicle-to-Grid’ (V2G) trial, where some customers managed to save up to £800 on their energy bills

Friday, 20th January 2023: In a move that is set to be pivotal for electric vehicle adoption, Kaluza and OVO Energy is today announcing a world-first ‘Vehicle-to-Everything’ (V2X) trial, INFLEXION, which will enable millions more drivers to benefit from powering their entire homes with their electric vehicle (EV) in the future. 

The scheme is being led by energy software pioneer Kaluza in collaboration with OVO Energy, Volkswagen Group UK, and EV smart charging tech business, Indra. V2X technology not only allows EV drivers to power their home with their car, but also leverage their EV as a backup power source, as well as being able to sell any surplus energy back to the grid – which can help to significantly reduce energy bills. The consortium will prove the power of the latest VW EVs combined with Kaluza’s smart software, and develop rewarding services for customers that ultimately makes buying an EV a more affordable and easy choice.          

The announcement follows OVO’s hugely successful domestic ‘Vehicle-to-Grid’ (V2G) trial, the largest of its kind in the world, which enabled drivers to earn around £420 a year by selling their EV’s energy back to the grid, with some earning up to £800. 

The long-term ambition for INFLEXION is to enable millions more drivers to reap the benefits of this type of charging in the future, regardless of which EV they own, as well as making EVs an even more affordable and attractive option for customers, rewarding them for making a more sustainable choice.

And as one of the world’s fastest-growing EV markets, the UK is a prime testbed for V2X. According to Kaluza’s data, if all vehicles in the UK today were electric and V2X-enabled, they could displace 60% of all gas backup generation currently active in the UK.* 

Energy and Climate Minister Graham Stuart said:

“We want to make smart charging an easier choice for drivers of electric vehicles, whether that is charging on the driveway, at the workplace, or parked on the street. To do that we need to build new network infrastructure at pace, using the latest available technologies.

“Today’s plan sets out how we will work with Ofgem and industry to kickstart the market for smart charging, which we are backing it up with £16m in innovation funding. This will let people take control of their energy usage, in the most convenient and low-cost way.”

Alex Thwaites, Head of Zero Carbon Living at OVO Energy, comments: “OVO has been leading the way in supporting customers to transition to electric vehicles and bring them on the journey to zero carbon living through exciting new products and offerings. This is not just about driving renewable energy solutions forward, it’s about demonstrating how customers can actually reduce their energy bills by making the switch to an EV. With OVO’s V2G tariff trial we saw some EV drivers save up to £800 a year on their bills.”

Scott Neuman, CEO at Kaluza comments: “V2X will have a transformative effect on decarbonising our energy system but only if we make it accessible and affordable for all. INFLEXION is a critical step to bring the energy and automotive industries together, and prove the power of smart technology to save both cost savings and carbon emissions for drivers. Kaluza is ideally positioned to lead this work with our advanced software and market-leading partners.”

The V2X Flex project, part of the V2X Innovation Programme, is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), delivered by Innovate-UK. V2X is part of the up to £65m Flexibility Innovation Programme, funded from the £1 billion BEIS Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

If successful, OVO and Kaluza will look to roll out the trial to OVO customers later in 2023. OVO customers can register their interest by visiting: 

https://www.ovoenergy.com/electric-cars/vehicle-to-grid-charger 

ENDS

For more information, please contact ovo@wearetheromans.com 

Notes to Editors

*Calculation: 32 million EVs average export load per EV throughout peak period (0.6kW) = 19.2 GW of sustainable export load. Total Gas Plant capacity in the UK is 32 GW. 19.2 GW / 32GW = 60%.

About Kaluza

Kaluza is the leading intelligent energy platform powering the future of energy. From revolutionising billing to smart electric vehicle charging, Kaluza’s technology is empowering some of the biggest energy suppliers to better serve millions of customers. Its real-time cloud platform transforms supplier operations, reducing cost to serve and boosting customer engagement. Powered by Kaluza, suppliers can invest in innovating for tomorrow’s customers and drive decarbonisation with smart, low carbon technologies that not only reduce energy bills, but lay the foundations for a more flexible energy system. www.kaluza.com

About OVO Energy

OVO Energy was founded in 2009 and redesigned the energy experience to be fair, effortless, green and simple for all customers.  The company has spent the last decade investing in the market leading technology, customer service operations and digital products to help members cut their carbon emissions. OVO is on a mission through its sustainability strategy Plan Zero to tackle the most important issue of our time; the climate crisis, by bringing our customers with us on the journey towards zero carbon living. 

About Volkswagen Group UK

Volkswagen Group United Kingdom is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, and is the importer of Audi, SEAT, CUPRA, ŠKODA cars as well as Volkswagen passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The company directly employs approximately 1,000 people in the UK, and approximately 25,000 more are employed in the retail networks, logistics operations and with Financial Services.

In 2021 the Group registered 369,747 cars, achieving a market share of 22.6%, plus a further 36,718 vans and pick-ups, through our network of over 600 retailers with Volkswagen as the UK number one brand, and Audi number two.

About Indra 

Indra was founded in 2013 on a mission to create the smartest way to power EVs.  With its design, R&D, engineering and manufacturing operations based in Malvern, this British company has fast become a leading EV and smart energy technology business. Indra is creating a sustainable energy ecosystem through the use of pioneering technology that integrates the car, the home and the grid. 

Indra developed the first bi-directional V2G (vehicle to grid) charger. This revolutionary technology allows power to flow both ways, enabling users to control the flow of energy to where it’s most needed. This means customers are able to access energy when needed and at its cheapest and most sustainable, and it also assists the grid in balancing energy load and demand.  

Indra has designed a range of innovative, high-quality EV chargers that offer the most reliable, intelligent and sustainable EV charging capability. By working with carefully selected professional installer networks, Indra’s high-quality, high-performance products are easy to install and operate; and are already in use in thousands of home and commercial locations worldwide.

For more information visit www.indra.co.uk

About the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Leading economy-wide transformation by backing enterprise and long-term growth, generating cheaper, cleaner, homegrown energy and unleashing the UK as a science superpower through innovation. This funding has been made available from the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which looks to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technologies and systems.