Polestar to test vehicle-to-grid technology

Less than a week after Volvo announced that it would be launching a new energy solution business that will test Vehicle-to-Grid technology on a local energy grid in Gothenburg, Sweden with its EX90 electric SUV, Polestar has also now announced that it will also be working with the same local grid owner in Sweden to trial the same technology with its Polestar 3.

The firm will be working with stakeholders in the electricity grid sector on a large-scale project that will see how bidirectional charging technology can help electricity grid management. Polestar states that this need is set to rise due to the accelerated electrification of mobility, coupled with increased production of electricity from variable sources such as wind or solar.

The vehicle-to-grid technology will initiate charging or discharging of the batteries of a fleet of Polestar 3 cars, helping to balance out demand and supply of energy in the electrical grid

Vehicle-to-Grid technology could thus help to save costly investments in grid expansion, by providing a means to balance electricity supply and demand.

To help manage the integration of this technology, Polestar is developing a virtual power plant that will link all Polestar 3 cars connected to the grid. This cloud-based power plant will than calculate the collective capacity of connected batteries and initiate charging or discharging based on grid demand and battery longevity optimisation.

The new technology is said to allow car owners to monetise their electric vehicle while its parked simply by plugging in their vehicle, and without any intervention from the owner.

Polestar is additionally collaborating with the California Energy Commission and the non-profit energy R&D institute EPRI on a pre-study that will create a roadmap for the implementation of vehicle-to-grid services in California.

The Gothenburg pilot project’s test phase is planned to commence in Gothenburg during the first half of 2024 and run for two years. The pilot will include a large fleet of Polestar 3 cars, and aims to become one of Europe’s largest Vehicle-to-Grid pilots.

The California pre-study, meanwhile, will begin in December 2023 and runs until October 2024.