The government has announced £20 million of funding to support the development of smart charging technologies, which will enable electric vehicles to help balance the power grid.
The money is being provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
A competition to allocate the grants will kick off in the next few weeks. The aim is to notify winners in December, allowing successful projects to start in early 2018.
Funding will be available for feasibility studies that examine the potential future uses of vehicle-to-grid charging; industrial research or experimental development, for example, the design of charging equipment; and real-world trials which demonstrate the efficacy of charging technologies in different locations around the UK.
“Vehicle to grid technology provides another opportunity for the UK to showcase to the world our leading expertise in research and development which is at the heart of our ambitious industrial strategy,” said climate change and industry minister, Claire Perry.
“This competition could unlock significant economic benefits for the UK – helping to create jobs in this burgeoning sector while helping to reduce our emissions.”
The government has vowed to double financial support for energy innovation by 2021 and according to BEIS, £600 million is already being invested ultra-low emission vehicles.
Last month the department revealed £35 million of funding to support the development of low-carbon heat networks.