Vehicle-to-X (V2X) implementation: An overview of predominate trial configurations and technical, social and regulatory challenges

Abstract

The uptake of electric vehicles supports decarbonization and increasingly interconnects the electricity and transport system. While the integration of electric vehicles could challenge electricity grids, bidirectional power flows between vehicles and grids could support grid operations. Despite the globally increasing number of Vehicle-to-X trials, including Vehicle-to-Grid and Vehicle-to-Customer, an in-depth understanding of trial implementations and expert experiences has largely been overlooked although they are both crucial for technological development and deployment. Based on our analysis of a global Vehicle-to-X trial database and 47 interviews with experts from industry and academia, we (i) provide an overview of the implementation status of Vehicle-to-X and analyze predominate trial configurations, i.e. combinations of characteristics, (ii) identify important technical, social and regulatory challenges for the implementation of Vehicle-to-X and assess and discuss expert evaluations of these challenges and (iii) derive implications for different actors.The most predominate trial configurations are Vehicle-to-Customer and transmission-level services provided by commercial fleets that charge at work due to current practical advantages of centralized approaches. From a technical standpoint, we find that although Vehicle-to-X can defer or even mitigate grid reinforcement at the distribution level, this potential is highly dependent on local conditions. Regarding social aspects, incentives and Vehicle-to-X operations need to be tailored to different vehicle users. Concerning regulation, it is imperative to avoid double taxation of electricity, simplify market participation for small providers, and further develop Vehicle-to-X standards. Implications for actors include the evaluation and enablement of portfolios with different flexibility assets, and stacking of services to increase revenue streams and reduce risk resulting from variations in driving patterns and charging behavior.