From passive consumer to active contributor: how Vehicle-to-Grid technology is putting EV drivers in control

Sarah no longer pays to charge her EV, thanks to a groundbreaking technology called Vehicle-To-Grid.

Since going ‘V2G’, Sarah’s EV now acts as a mobile battery. When it’s sitting on her driveway, it feeds power back into the grid, rather than the other way around. By using their EVs as a source of power, drivers like Sarah are not only saving on charging costs, but also paving the way for a more sustainable energy future.

How does this work? Let’s have a look under the bonnet.

Millions of people now drive electric – but that’s just one slice of the green opportunity. V2G is a breakthrough technology that turns EVs into energy assets.

Behind the complex tech – smart software, bi-directional charging, and grid integration – is a surprisingly simple idea. Strip an EV back, and at its heart is the battery; or, in other words, store of power.

Until now, driving electric has been a one-way street: you plug in, charge up and hit the road.

Vehicle-to-Grid flips that on its head. Suddenly, your car isn’t just taking energy; it’s giving it back. With V2G, you become part of the energy system. Your EV stores green energy when supply is high, then sends some back when the grid needs it most. It’s a small shift with a big impact: balancing energy demand and squeezing every last drop of goodness out of renewables.

V2G isn’t just about doing the right thing. You’ll get paid for the power you give back, sometimes in the form of free energy from your supplier.

The idea of using EVs for storage goes back to the 1990s – but it gained serious attention following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, which showed just how fragile traditional energy systems can be.

The Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami caused a major nuclear crisis. It left 4.4 million homes without power, with blackouts continuing for months. This kick-started interest in using EVs as mobile power sources, especially for homes and emergency services. Early V2G solutions began to appear, allowing electricity stored in an EV to power a home.

Fast forward to 2018, and Octopus started exploring how V2G could be used at scale to create a more sustainable energy system. Two years later, 135 drivers with Nissan LEAFs and bi-directional chargers helped us test the concept for the first time.

And it worked. So much green energy was sent back to the grid that we began to get excited. Very excited. We worked out that 10 million V2G enabled cars could power the whole of the UK during peak times.

Roll on a few years and a bit more innovation, and we’re ready to take V2G to the next level. We’ve teamed up with our sister company Octopus Energy, and BYD and Zaptec, to launch the Power Pack Bundle. It’s a first-of-its-kind V2G leasing package that lets drivers unlock the full power of this exciting technology.

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up: You lease a BYD Dolphin, one of the first EVs in the UK enabled with two-way charging. We install a Zaptec Pro V2G charger at your home, and switch on the exclusive charging tariff from Octopus Energy.
2. Plug in: Plug in your car at night and tell us how much charge you need. Our smart software figures out when the grid is greenest and energy is cheapest, and does its thing. Then, when the grid is under pressure, your car sends some energy back.
3. Start saving: Best of all, your EV charging is completely free for the duration of your lease, for up to 12,000 miles a year. We credit your account every month to cover the cost of the electricity your car uses.

On average, drivers using the Power Pack Bundle could save up to £620 a year compared to charging on a standard variable tariff.

Until recently, setting up V2G was complicated: you needed the right car, a special charger, smart software, integration with your energy supplier, and grid approval. The Power Pack Bundle makes that easy; an all-in-one solution that puts this breakthrough tech onto your driveway.

Ready to drive smarter?

Join the Power Pack Bundle waitlist and be first in line when it launches later this year.