Renault’s New 5 EV to Come with V2G Charging as Standard

Renault’s upcoming 5 EV will be equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging as standard, according to the French automaker. The bi-directional charging system will allow customers to plug their car into the grid and either charge it overnight to take advantage of cheaper rates or return power to the grid when demand is high. Renault claims that this could reduce customers’ charging costs by up to 50%, making it the first automaker to offer grid-balancing hardware as standard.

The New Renault 5 EV

Renault’s smallest EV, currently in its final stages of development, is being touted as the “most fun small electric car to drive.” The V2G charging system will be contract-based software that will eventually be introduced on all Renault’s future products, including the current Renault Megane and forthcoming Renault Scenic. The system will charge using A/C only and is equipped on all 5 EV models as standard, with customers able to switch the system on and off as they like.

How V2G Charging Works

Customers can charge their car using an app downloaded to their phone and will be able to tell it what time of day they want to leave the house and how much charge they want in the battery by that time. The car will be charged according to when electricity is at its cheapest rate, and discharged from the car to the house and national grid when electricity is at peak demand and more expensive. Energy will be fed first to the home and thereafter back to the grid. At any one time, a maximum of 11kW will be taken from the car and fed to both house and national grid.

Savings for Customers

Alain Thoral, Director of Mobilize Energy Solutions, said: “A customer who plugs in during nine hours a day will manage to save 50% of the recharge cost of the car for a year. So, for a customer who drives 50,000km (31,068 miles) over one year, 7,500km (4660 miles) will be for free.” This 50% saving is applicable to a 7.4kW single-phase UK charger and is calculated according to charging at the most expensive time.

Wallbox and Charging Tariff

Cars will be delivered with a wallbox that is only compatible with the 5 EV, and customers will enter a contract with The Mobility House should they want to use V2G charging. The wallbox will use a standard-issue CCS2 adaptor. Renault could not provide information as to how much the charging tariff would be as part of the contract, but confirmed it would be specific to each country the car is sold in.

Battery Degradation

When asked about how this will affect battery degradation, Zero Emission projects Director Eric Blanchard said: “We consider (degradation) based on our experience of battery-electric vehicles. We started decades ago, and we have a lot of data; therefore, we know how our customers are using battery packs. Based on that, we include this (charging and recharging) cycle into the durability of the battery pack, and we will pose to our customers the same (battery) guarantee without V2G.”

Conclusion

Renault’s New 5 EV will be the first automaker to offer grid-balancing hardware as standard. Equipped with V2G charging, customers can plug their car into the grid and either charge it overnight to take advantage of cheaper rates or return power to the grid when demand is high. This could reduce customers’ charging costs by up to 50%. The system will charge using A/C only and is equipped on all 5 EV models as standard, with customers able to switch the system on and off as they like. Cars will be delivered with a wallbox that is only compatible with the 5 EV, and customers will enter a contract with The Mobility House should they want to use V2G charging. Renault could not provide information as to how much the charging tariff would be as part of the contract, but confirmed it would be specific to each country the car is sold in.