To accompany the Renault 5 launch, Mobilize is launching the Mobilize vehicle-to-grid (V2G) service, giving Renault 5 owners the ability to save on their home charging, reduce their overall electricity bill by feeding power from the vehicle back into their home and selling power back to the grid, opt for carbon-neutral electricity and therefore play a role in the energy transition. Mobilize V2G will also be available on future Renault electric vehicles.
“Thanks to Mobilize V2G, cars become an energy reserve. All drivers have to do is regularly connect their vehicle to the Powerbox to optimize their electricity bill and cut carbon from their mobility. On average, the cost of charging is cut by half. That is how Mobilize’s mobility solutions are more sustainable and affordable,” says Corinne Frasson, Director of Energy Services at Mobilize.
Thanks to V2G technology, charging is bidirectional. The Mobilize V2G service not only makes it possible to put charging on hold during peak hours but to also inject power back into the home, especially when electricity is expensive, and into the grid when demand is high. Charging takes place when electricity supply on the grid is high and therefore cheaper.
The Mobilize V2G service builds off four complementary components:
- a bidirectional on-board charger incorporating V2G technology, available on Renault’s future electric vehicles, starting with Renault 5 the Mobilize Powerbox, a bidirectional terminal designed in collaboration with teams from the Software République.
- a Mobilize electricity contract, provided by our technology partner The Mobility House, which guarantees carbon-neutral electricity and serves to monetize energy injected back into the grid through automated bidirectional charging management.
- a smartphone app used to program bidirectional charging, simply by setting the time when the vehicle is going to be used next and the desired battery level.
Renault’s new bidirectional charger will make its debut on the future Renault 5
The future Renault 5 electric will be the first in a long series of cars to come equipped with the brand-new bidirectional charger. The innovative architecture integrates hardware such as natively reversible electrotechnical components and electrical-current management software, which will provide ongoing access to the Mobilize V2G service while preserving battery capacity.
In addition to reinjecting electricity into the power grid, the bidirectional charger can also be used to power an electric barbecue for an outdoor picnic or a vacuum cleaner to clean the inside areas of the future electric Renault 5 (V2L or ‘vehicle-to-load’ function for powering electrical appliances). Thanks to a Renault-designed adapter connected to the vehicle’s charging socket, the future electric Renault 5 can provide the same energy output as a 220-volt power outlet.
Mobilize Powerbox, a bidirectional charging station ‘Made in France’
Developed by the Software République (Orange, Renault Group, STMicroelectronics, and Thales) along with their technology partner IoTecha Corp, the Mobilize Powerbox terminal communicates with the car and the cloud to determine whether it should recharge the battery or send power back to the grid depending on battery charging needs, domestic needs, and incentives from the energy market and power grid. Made at the LACROIX electronics assembly plant in Beaupréau-en-Mauges (Maine-et-Loire, western France), the power of the bidirectional terminal will sit between 7 kW and 22 kW depending on the native power supply in each country, and it will be compatible with all electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The future Renault 5 will run on carbon-neutral electricity
To make the most of the V2G service, Mobilize will offer a competitively priced carbon-neutral electricity contract through its technology partner The Mobility House. Thanks to the contract, electricity can be reinjected back into the home or sold back to the grid. As such, electric vehicle owners can make the most out of their vehicle: in addition to covering their mobility needs, these vehicles provide greater flexibility for the grid, and therefore added value for the owner.
The Mobility House has been a Renault Group partner since 2018 for the Advanced Battery Storage system – a stationary storage device utilising electric vehicle batteries. Based on this experience, owners of compatible Renault electric vehicles have access to tried and tested solutions.
The Mobilize V2G service will be available from the launch of Renault 5 in France and Germany in 2024, then in Great Britain in 2025.
