NEXT BIG THING

VEHICLE TO GRID

- WORDS: PAUL HORRELL

VEHICLE TO GRID, OR V2G TO ITS MANY fans, has been around as an idea forever even if it's only just becoming reality. In effect it time shifts and location shifts power generation. Because it saves the electricity grid money, it'll save electric car drivers money. Here's how.

The grid has lots of spare capacity at night, because most homes, offices, factories and other buildings are asleep. So as with any commodity in surplus, the grid sells electricity cheaply then. Come the morning and teatime peaks, the grid has a hard job keeping up. So that pushes up prices.