Overview
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will invest up to £2 million in innovative Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) research and development projects. This phase 1 investment will be delivered through Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.
Scope
The aim of this competition is to fund collaborative projects which can unlock and expand the flexibility potential of electric vehicles (EVs) using bi-directional charging solutions.
Your project must deliver prototype hardware, software or business models which can reduce entry barriers for domestic or non-domestic use of V2X bi-directional chargers to provide energy flexibility services.
Proposals must address one or more of the following challenges:
- reduce the cost gap between V2X and single direction smart charging without compromising safety or capability
- develop next generation on or off-vehicle bi-directional charging using DC Combined Charging System (CCS), DC Charge de move (CHAdeMO) or AC V2X technology
- develop innovative V2X commercial propositions different to the grid services and business models demonstrated in the UK to date
- improve consumer experience of V2X operation
- investigate V2X energy barriers and challenges to innovative solutions that increase the deployment and uptake of V2X
Your project must:
- develop a solution which can be deployed at scale within 5 years
- show a clear route to market including identifying end users and use-cases with appropriate business models
- show how the future supply chain will be developed
- show how your product or business model can be manufactured or deployed at scale
- demonstrate the prototype hardware, software or business model in a laboratory setting
- deliver a monthly report through the Project Manager to the Innovate UK appointed Monitoring Officer with progress against the project plan and financial forecasts
- deliver a final report summarising the project’s achievements against its objectives, and the lessons learnt for future activity
- deliver appropriate dissemination activities
Project participants can include, but are not limited to:
- transport sector stakeholders such as vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers and operators
- energy sector stakeholders such as distribution network operators (DNOs), energy suppliers, flexibility system operators, equipment or system developers
- end users and infrastructure owners such as local authorities and fleet operators both public and private
V2X solutions for road vehicles are in scope for this competition, including special-use vehicles such as emergency response and refuse collection vehicles. However, priority will be given to those projects providing the highest flexibility potential.
Specific Themes
Your project can focus on one or more of the following:
- bi-directional charging equipment compatible with a wide range of EVs
- bi-directional charging equipment using DC CCS, CHAdeMO or AC protocols
- cost reduction of compatible bi-directional charging equipment or deployment costs
- developing new business models to increase the range of V2X use-cases, for example in public charging locations or for freight vehicles
- developing new V2X commercial propositions for example in new markets, such as V2H, V2B or for new services or stacking multiple revenues
- providing valid and reliable data justifying revenue predictions for a range of market actors in the V2X ecosystem
- exploring the opportunity for electric road vehicles, beyond cars, buses and light goods vehicles to provide quantifiable flexible energy services
- providing technical solutions to optimise EV battery performance with V2X charging
- making V2X charging more convenient for consumers
Eligibility
Your project must:
- have total costs between £150,000 and £300,000
- start on 1 September 2022
- end by 31 August 2023
- carry out its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
Your project must involve a minimum of 2 collaborative grant claiming organisations from across the energy and transport sectors.
You must only include eligible project costs in your application.
To lead a project your organisation must:
- be a UK registered business of any size
- collaborate with other UK registered organisations to deliver this project
Academic institutions cannot lead a project.
To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:
- business of any size
- academic institution
- charity
- not-for-profit
- public sector organisation
- research and technology organisation (RTO)
Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead to collaborate on a project.
Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.
You cannot use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.
Exclusions
Innovate UK are not funding projects that are:
- not addressing compatible bi-directional EV charging technology
- duplicating existing V2G technology, services or business models already demonstrated in the UK
- proposing V2X solutions for non-road transport
- dependent on export performance – for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
- dependent on domestic inputs usage – for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product
Funding Costs
Up to £2 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
If the majority of your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically.
For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:
- up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
- up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
- up to 50% if you are a large organisation
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