Sweden’s Polestar launches vehicle to grid and virtual power plant projects

Swedish automotive Polestar, alongside a consortium of grid sector stakeholders, is launching a large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) project in Gothenburg, Sweden, piloting a fleet of Polestar 3 cars.

The project is being run by Polestar alongside Swedish National Grid authority Svenska kraftnät, local grid owner Göteborg Energi Nät, regional energy distributor Vattenfall Eldistribution, home charging provider Easee, and research partner Chalmers University of Technology, to find potential business models for V2G and trial use cases that can be scalable and applicable across regions.

To help manage V2G integration, Polestar is also developing a virtual power plant (VPP) that links all participating Polestar 3 cars connected to the grid.

The cloud-based VPP calculates the collective capacity of connected batteries and initiates charging or discharging based on grid demand and battery longevity optimisation.

According to Polestar in a release, this will allow car owners to both contribute to the energy transition and monetise their EV while parked, without intervention.

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The owner plugs in their vehicle and the VPP and smart charging tech opimises battery use for their transport needs while supporting the grid.

“Vehicle-to-grid will have an impact on the electrical grid and how our customers can actively participate and contribute to increased stability in the grid,” said Peter Söderström, manager of innovation & market outlook at Vattenfall Eldistribution.

“The car will become a natural element and a potential resource for this. V2G will also influence how electricity grid companies plan their grids in the future.”

The Gothenburg pilot project’s test phase is planned to commence in Gothenburg during the first half of 2024 and run for two years.

At the same time as the V2G project, which is being funded by the Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova, Polestar is forming a collaboration with the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the independent, non-profit energy R&D institute EPRI, on a pre-study – also funded by Vinnova – to create a roadmap for the implementation of V2G services in California.

“V2G technologies turn EVs into virtual power plants, making homes and the grid more resilient while putting money into the pockets of drivers.

“The CEC is excited to have Polestar partner with innovators in California to advance their V2G plans,” said commissioner Patty Monahan of the California Energy Commission.

The California pre-study begins in December 2023 and runs until October 2024.