BMW is taking steps to work out how its electric vehicles could provide power back to the grid.
The carmaker said it plans to start real world testing of i3 vehicles providing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services in 2021.
BMW will act as the lead party in a consortium that includes transmission system operator TenneT, distribution network operator Bayernwerk Netz, a charging systems developer and research institutes.
BMW said it has developed a smart charging system along with TenneT, but that V2G could “lead to greater benefits”, by helping “to stabilise power grids and limit the need to expand them, keeping electricity prices stable” and by providing buffer storage, smoothing renewable power supply and reducing the need for fossil back-up.
As such, the aim is to decarbonise both transport and power generation.
As well as system for vehicles and chargers, the Bidirectional Charging Management research project focuses on the technologies for energy management systems, plus hardware and software for controlling charging, plus legal and regulatory parameters.
See details here.
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