Electric cars can temporarily store electricity and feed it back, which helps absorb peaks and troughs on the energy grid. The Climate Opportunities Map advises quantifying the cost saving that this buffering delivers for the grid. The vehicle fleet then acts as a movable buffer in the local energy system.
As long as that saving is not expressed in euros, the benefit of smart charging and discharging stays underexposed in business cases. A substantiated figure makes vehicle-to-grid more attractive for grid operators, car owners and municipalities planning charging infrastructure. For Gelderland, that figure is a missing link between the growth of electric driving and the costs of grid reinforcement. Source: Climate Opportunities Map Gelderland (Mobility), March 2024.