The aims of this competition are to:

• demonstrate innovative Vehicle to everything (V2X) hardware and software solutions using new business models with real-world drivers in a real-world setting
• trial new flexibility propositions for a range of consumer use-cases using on-road electric vehicles (EVs)
• unlock and expand the energy flexibility potential of EV bi-directional charging technologies in the UK
• accelerate commercialisation of V2X technologies and services
• increase business and consumer interest in V2X energy
• bring together diverse stakeholders across the energy and transport sectors to overcome barriers to V2X deployment

V2X solutions for on-road vehicles are in scope for this competition, including cars, vans, buses, freight, special-use vehicles such as emergency response and refuse collection vehicles.

Your proposal must:

• deliver a minimum 6-month demonstration with real-world drivers in a real-world setting using on or off-vehicle bi-directional chargers using DC Combined Charging System (CCS), DC Charge de move (CHAdeMO) or AC V2X technology
• demonstrate using between 10 to 50 bi-directional charging units, either existing or newly installed as part of this project
• trial innovative V2X services for domestic or non-domestic use, or a mixture of both
• trial an innovative V2X customer proposition such as behind-the-meter services or grid services which is different to those demonstrated in the UK to date
• align with the principles of interoperability, cyber-security, data privacy and grid stability, in line with Transitioning to a net zero energy system Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan 2021 and Delivering a smart and secure electricity system (consultation on interoperability and cyber security of energy smart appliances and remote load control)
• align with the Flexibility Innovation Programme
• deliver appropriate knowledge dissemination activities

As part of your project you must deliver a Trial Report at the end of your minimum 6 month demonstration period.

The Trial Report must contain a detailed report for use by government organisations addressing the following Research Questions, and an Executive Summary suitable for public dissemination. A first draft report containing contents list, introduction, method and early findings addressing the Research Questions must be submitted by 31st March 2025. The final version of the Trial Report must be submitted by 30 June 2025.

If any of these questions are not relevant to your project you must explain why in your application.

Research Questions

What type of energy flexibility did the project deliver?

You must include:

• the V2X use case being trialled (users, vehicles and location archetypes)
• specifications of V2X equipment used or integrated in the trial for example, vehicles, chargers, heat pumps, Photo Voltaics (PV) and battery storage, including model, capacity, age, rate of charge and discharge, response time and EV battery state of health
• the market propositions being trialled, including behind the meter, (vehicle to home, building, vehicle, load) or grid services (vehicle to grid)
• permitted customer preferences, for example minimum state of charge and override functionality
• proposition communication methods, for example activation, providers and stakeholders involved
• tariff information for all charging and discharging events

To what extent was the project successful in increasing energy flexibility?

You must include:

• a description of the methodology used to assess the impact of the trial, including the use of a counterfactual group or similar
• quantity of equipment, users, locations, vehicles and flexibility transactions delivered
• travel behaviour of triallists and relationship to flexibility delivered
• a summary of the charging and discharging behaviour exhibited during the trial
• a summary of the adoption of and response to the tariffs applied
• a description of any technical and system barriers encountered
• a cleansed dataset of charging and discharging transactions delivered by all chargers funded through the project

Your summary of charging and discharging behaviour exhibited must include:

• energy transferred and losses experienced
• power (half hourly intervals)
• time of day and day of week
• relationship with tariffs
• use of consumer override
• vehicle state of charge before and after charge and discharge events
• local generation and flexible assets, for example ambient temperature for heat pump or PV interaction

How has the trial met your commercial ambitions?

You must include:

• a description of your business model and its rationale
• what impacts the trial has had on your business model
• a description of any economic barriers encountered
• exploitation plans and timeframe

What were the experiences of participants in the trial?

You must include:

• anonymised triallists information – sample size and demographics
• perceptions of V2X - before and after trial
• motivations to participate in V2X
• V2X barriers and enablers, for example user interface, accessibility, policy, incentives, economics – before and after trial
• changes in behaviour as a result of the trial – charging, discharging, travel, unintended consequences due to external factors
• benefits received (actual and perceived) by triallists as a result of participating in the trial
• a description of any behavioural barriers encountered

Portfolio approach
We want to fund a variety of projects across different charging protocols (DC CCS, DC CHAdeMO and AC). We call this a portfolio approach.

Within each charging protocol (DC CCS, DC CHAdeMO, AC) the highest scoring application will be successful subject to reaching the 70% quality threshold. The remaining funding will be allocated as per the highest scoring ranked applications.

High scoring proposals are likely to integrate a number of innovative solutions to address bi-directional charging barriers and facilitate electricity system flexibility into a single demonstration project.

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Specific themes

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

• bi-directional charging equipment compatible with a wide range of EVs
• bi-directional charging equipment using DC CCS, CHAdeMO or AC protocols
• cost reduction of compatible bi-directional charging equipment or deployment costs
• trialling new business models to increase the range of V2X use-cases, for example in public charging locations or for freight vehicles
• trialling new V2X commercial propositions for example in new markets, such as V2H, V2B or for new services or stacking multiple revenues
• providing valid and reliable data justifying revenue predictions for a range of market actors in the V2X ecosystem
• exploring the opportunity for electric road vehicles, beyond cars, buses and light goods vehicles to provide quantifiable flexible energy services, building or on-site energy management and the grid

This list is not exhaustive.

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