Electric mobility company Revel, clean energy developer NineDot Energy, and leading vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology services provider, Fermata Energy, today announced a new partnership focused on testing V2G technology and operations. V2G has the potential to play a major role in supporting grid reliability by using the batteries in fleets of electric vehicles (EVs) to supply energy back to the grid during times of peak electricity demand. This technology could also be crucial to expanding the adoption of solar and wind by acting as a source of backup power when the sun goes down or when the wind stops blowing. Revel is the first electric mobility company to deploy V2G technology.
The partnership takes advantage of Revel’s fleet of electric rideshare vehicles, which they own, operate, and charge at their fast charging Superhub in Brooklyn. The initial pilot will be located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with three DC chargers that will export nearly 50kW to the grid, the equivalent of powering 50 homes. The project will utilize Fermata Energy’s bidirectional charging stations and software to return the energy stored in an EV back to the electric grid. Testing will begin this winter, with the exporting of power beginning in the spring.
“One thing rarely talked about with EVs is the incredible cumulative storage capacity of their batteries. Through V2G technology, we’re able to use this storage capacity to support a decarbonized electric grid” said Paul Suhey, Revel Co-founder and Head of Ridehare and EV Infrastructure. “Revel is operating at the convergence of energy and mobility because we believe that integration of these two sectors is the fastest path to a zero-carbon future.”
“Having distributed energy sources such as parked EVs provide power to the electric grid at critical times represents an important proof of concept that EV’s can be the “peaker plants” of the future” said David Arfin, CEO and Co-Founder of NineDot Energy. “NineDot’s business model innovation will simultaneously improve the economics for EV fleet owners, increase grid reliability and provide economic savings for community subscribers.”
"V2X technologies enable the electric grid to gain access to enormous stored energy from electric vehicles," said Fermata Energy founder and CEO David Slutzky. “Our collaboration with Revel and Nine Dot is critical to proving that V2X will need to be a part of any essential EV infrastructure moving forward. Soon, bidirectionality and V2X capacity will be the norm in all EVs and charging systems, thanks to this partnership.”
Revel’s goal is to integrate V2G technology, stationary storage, smart charging, and demand response at all of its Superhubs. In doing so, Revel’s EV charging stations will become energy hubs that provide valuable services to electric grids that promote grid reliability, resiliency, and renewable power generation. Revel’s Superhubs will help decarbonize both transportation and urban electric grids.
After gaining operational know-how in a real-world setting, Revel and NineDot Energy aim to scale the V2G program across Revel’s entire rideshare fleet and future Superhubs around New York City.
