Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) in Great Britain: How Your EV Can Power Your Home
Most EVs are parked and plugged in for 8–12 hours a day. During that time, they're sitting on 40–100 kWh of stored electricity — more than most homes consume in a week.
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology turns an EV's battery into a two-way resource: it can charge from the grid when electricity is cheap and clean, and discharge back to the grid (or directly to your home) when electricity is expensive and high-carbon. It's the home battery upgrade you didn't need to buy separately.
How V2G Works
Standard EV charging is unidirectional: electricity flows from the grid into the car. V2G uses a bidirectional charger that can reverse this flow — sending electricity from the EV battery back through the charger, into the home or onto the grid.
Three variations of the technology exist:
- V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid): The EV exports electricity back to the distribution network, earning the owner a payment from the grid
- V2H (Vehicle-to-Home): The EV powers appliances within the home — essentially using the car as a home battery during a power cut or peak period
- V2L (Vehicle-to-Load): The car has a standard socket (usually in the boot) that powers individual appliances — camping, power tools, emergency use
V2G and V2H require a compatible bidirectional charger installed at home. V2L is a feature built into some EVs with a simple socket and doesn't require a special charger.
Which EVs Support V2G in the UK?
As of 2026, the number of V2G-compatible EVs is growing but still limited:
| Vehicle | V2G/V2H support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf (40/62 kWh) | V2G + V2H | CHAdeMO port — the original V2G EV in UK |
| Nissan Ariya | V2H (Japan first) | UK rollout underway |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | V2H | Via CHAdeMO |
| BYD Atto 3 | V2L | 3.3 kW socket |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5/6 | V2L | 3.6 kW socket, some models V2H capable |
| Kia EV6 / EV9 | V2L | 3.6 kW socket |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | V2H | Not sold in UK but shows direction of travel |
| Volkswagen ID. range | V2H in development | CCS bidirectional standard being finalised |
The industry is moving towards ISO 15118-20 as the standard for bidirectional charging over CCS (the most common port type in Europe). When this is fully deployed, most new EVs will be V2G capable from the factory.
V2G Tariffs in the UK
Several UK energy suppliers have run or are running V2G tariff trials:
OVO Drive+Shift (formerly V2G trial): OVO's V2G programme provides a bidirectional charger and pays customers for grid exports. The car charges overnight at cheap rates and can export back during peak periods, earning 15–30p/kWh or more.
Octopus V2G: Octopus Energy has partnered with charger manufacturers to offer V2G tariff integration. Cars charge on cheap Agile overnight slots and can discharge during high-price peaks.
Powerloop (now closed, acquired by OVO): An early UK V2G trial that ran from 2018–2022, demonstrating the commercial viability of the model.
The economics are compelling: charge at 8p overnight, export at 40p+ during the winter peak. With a 40 kWh battery and 10–20 kWh of daily V2G cycling, this could be worth £600–1,200/year — while still leaving the car with a full charge for driving.
The Battery Concern: Does V2G Degrade Your EV Battery?
This is the most common question about V2G. The concern is reasonable: more charge cycles means more battery wear.
The evidence from real-world V2G programmes is reassuring:
- The Nissan Leaf V2G pilots showed no additional measurable degradation compared to standard charging when V2G use was managed (shallow cycles, avoiding extreme SOC levels)
- V2G typically operates in the 20–80% SOC range — exactly the range that minimises degradation
- Deep charging to 100% or discharging to near-zero is more harmful than frequent shallow cycles
Modern battery management systems are designed to handle V2G patterns. Most V2G tariff schemes include explicit protections: the system will stop discharging if you need the battery above a minimum SOC for your next journey.
Setting a "departure time and minimum range" with V2G software ensures your car is always ready for use — it won't drain the battery for grid use if you've specified you need 80% by 7am.
V2H: Your Car as Emergency Power
V2H (Vehicle-to-Home) is particularly interesting in the context of grid reliability. With a 60–80 kWh EV and a V2H-capable charger:
- Your home could run from the car battery for 2–4 days during a power cut
- Average UK household consumption is 8–10 kWh/day, so a 60 kWh battery holds roughly 6 days of average use
- Critical loads (fridge, phone charging, lights) could run for much longer
The Nissan Leaf has been used in Japan for exactly this purpose during the earthquake and typhoon seasons, where power cuts lasting multiple days are not uncommon. As UK weather becomes more extreme, V2H offers meaningful resilience.
V2G and the GB Grid
National Grid ESO's Future Energy Scenarios model millions of EVs in Great Britain by 2035. If even a fraction of those participate in V2G, the grid benefit is significant:
- 40 million EVs × 10 kWh daily V2G cycling = 400 GWh of daily flexible storage — comparable to the entire current installed grid-scale battery capacity
- Demand peaks could be dramatically smoothed by EVs discharging during the 5–8pm winter peak
- Renewable curtailment (wind farms switched off because demand is too low) could be reduced by EVs storing the surplus overnight
The Carbon Intensity API that powers the 48-hour forecast on this site is exactly the kind of signal that V2G management systems will use: charge when carbon is low, discharge when carbon is high.
Getting Started With V2G Today
- Check if your EV is compatible — CHAdeMO-equipped Nissan Leafs have the most established UK V2G ecosystem today; CCS bidirectional is coming
- Contact OVO or Octopus about V2G tariff availability in your area
- Install a compatible bidirectional charger — Indra Smart Pro, Pod Point V2G charger, or OVO-supplied units for current programmes
- Set departure time and minimum SOC in the V2G software — don't leave home range to the algorithm
If you have a Nissan Leaf or another CHAdeMO vehicle, V2G is available to you today with a straightforward installation and one of the available tariffs.
Summary
- V2G turns your EV battery into a home battery and grid resource — charge cheap, export expensive
- Current UK V2G tariffs (OVO Drive+Shift, Octopus V2G) can earn £600–1,200/year with typical usage
- Compatible vehicles: primarily Nissan Leaf today; CCS bidirectional coming to most new EVs via ISO 15118-20
- Battery degradation concerns are manageable — V2G programmes operate in the low-wear SOC range
- V2H provides home power resilience during outages — days of backup from a typical EV battery
- The 48-hour carbon forecast is the signal V2G systems use to decide when to charge vs. discharge