The upcoming new all-electric Renault 5 hatchback - the coolest electric car yet? - will be the first Renault car to get two-way 'V2G' charging.
Charge other stuff
What's V2G? It stands for Vehicle To Grid, which means that the 5 EV's onboard 22kW charging system can either take power in to charge its battery or send power from its battery outward to charge other things. Those 'things' could be an e-bike, another EV, or even your house in case of a power cut. Renault will create an adapter connected to the vehicle's charging socket to provide 220-volt domestic power. More importantly, cars with V2G can be used as electric sponges, sending power back to the national grid at peak times before being fully charged later at cheaper rates. This 'load balancing' effect is seen as a key component of evening out the electric demand as more and more EVs start plugging in.
Earn while you charge
Renault's newly spun-off charging and finance arm, Mobilize, will be able to provide R5 EV customers with a Mobilize Powerbox bidirectional charging station, which the carmaker says will allow: "Renault 5 drivers will save on charging and reduce their overall electricity bill by selling electricity back to the power grid."
The Powerbox communicates with the car and the cloud to determine whether it should recharge the battery or send power back to the grid depending on battery charging needs, domestic needs, and incentives from the energy market and power grid.
Carbon-neutral
As well as that, Renault is promising that customers signing up for a Mobilize home charging contract for their electricity supply will be getting all of their EV charging from renewable and carbon-neutral sources.
"Thanks to Mobilize V2G, cars become an energy reserve. All drivers have to do is regularly connect their vehicle to the Powerbox to optimise their electricity bill and cut carbon from their mobility. On average, the cost of charging is cut by half. That is how Mobilize's mobility solutions are more sustainable and affordable," said Corinne Frasson, Director of Energy Services at Mobilize.
This V2G setup won't be available immediately. Renault has said it will launch in France and Germany in 2024, along with the Renault 5 itself, and will come to the UK in 2025. No arrival date for Ireland has yet been given.