Using a bidirectional V2H Charger, the technology provides EV owners with a means to charge vehicles with off-peak energy, which is often both cheaper and derived from renewable energy sources.
Energy is also able to be discharged back from their vehicle during peak times to power their homes. This will then see a reduction in the costs of energy bills, states Indra, a vital aspect amid a cost-of-living crisis and rising bills.
The V2H charger has a smart feature that could be a huge boost to customers with solar panels. The Indra charger is able to divert the energy produced via solar panels into the EV’s battery, where it can be stored for use later instead of being exported to the grid.
Data collected by Hive found that over a quarter (27%) of people believe home charging would be more expensive than using public chargers amid the cost-of-living crisis which is set to intensify over the coming winter months. The results of this trial indicate that V2H smart chargers could reduce energy bills and keep EVs powered.
“These initial customer results show that Indra’s pioneering Vehicle-to-Home charger can significantly reduce a customer’s domestic energy bills as well as maximise renewable energy choices,” said Mike Schooling, founder and chief technology officer of Indra.
“As we grow the number of trial participants later this year, we will gather even more varied use cases as well as start to see similarities in behaviour. This data will help us to refine our bidirectional charging proposition so that we can bring more of this game-changing technology to future customers.”
Carl Nicholson, one of the first to sign up to the trial programme, stated he has seen significant reductions in his grid energy use since he started using his Indra V2H Charger at his Sedbury home in May this year.
“The savings I’m making are massive. My first full month’s electric bill since setting up the V2H is going to be about £30. Before that I was paying between £130 and £200 a month, depending on the time of year,” stated Nicholson.
The positive results for the new V2H chargers coincide with surging demand for EVs. Centrica’s Hive revealed in August that 54% of UK drivers want to switch to an electric car within the next five years ahead of the internal combustion engine production ban from 2030.
Alongside this, information gathered also showcased the public’s stance on EVs and also revealed that 58% would consider integrating a home charger. This could see popularity for Indra’s new product aiming to reduce both energy bills and provide accessible charging infrastructure for electric cars.
This stance supports data collected via New Automotive, which found more EVs had been bought in 2022 already than over the entirety of 2020. The EV market is continuing to grow, and in July 2022 accounted for 11.1% of the market with 11,240 pure EVs registered.
