V2H and V2G, i.e. Vehicle-to-Home and Vehicle-to-Grid, are technologies that allow electric cars to be used as mobile energy storage devices. Both fall under the broader concept of V2X – Vehicle-to-Everything – which involves utilising the possibilities offered by connecting electric vehicles with their surroundings.

V2H can be used in single-family homes to increase self-consumption of energy from domestic photovoltaic (PV) installations and optimise energy costs under a dynamic tariff. V2G, on the other hand, is an opportunity for car batteries to work with the power grid as part of DSR (Demand Side Response), a mechanism for flexibility on the consumer side.

In the long term, V2X combined with smart charging is an opportunity to achieve systemic benefits such as:

• reduced curtailment of renewable energy sources;
• reduced production of expensive electricity from gas;
• lower costs of expanding power grids;
• lower peak power demand in the system.

In the short term, the development of V2X technology – and V2H in particular – has the potential to reduce electric car owners' bills by as much as 15-30%. Households with PV installations and heat pumps will be able to reap particularly large benefits. At the same time, the large-scale implementation of cooperation between electric cars and the power system within the framework of V2X will reduce network and system costs for all energy consumers. In total, these benefits could amount to savings of up to PLN 39/MWh in 2040.

However, in order to unlock the potential of V2X, an appropriate regulatory environment is needed, including the introduction of V2G and V2H into the legal system, the definition of settlement and tariffing rules, as well as the dynamic development of the necessary infrastructure, i.e. charging points supporting V2G and smart meters.

The full report is available below.