Hyundai and We Drive Solar deploy IONIQ 5s with V2G tech in the Netherlands to create the ‘world’s first bi-directional city’

Hyundai Motor Group and We Drive Solar person teamed up to assistance make a wholly bi-directional portion successful the Dutch improvement territory of Cartesius successful Utrecht of the Netherlands. To begin, We Drive Solar has equipped 25 Hyundai IONIQ 5 BEVs with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) exertion to nonstop powerfulness backmost to homes and businesses successful the portion during highest vigor hours.

We Drive Solar is simply a shared car supplier that is progressive successful a fig of new-build developments focused astir sustainability successful the Netherlands. This includes Cartesius Utrecht, which is location to the caller concern with Hyundai.

By implementing a holistic strategy of star panels, charging stations, and shared vehicles with V2G capabilities similar the modified IONIQ 5s, the companies question to power 2,530 homes successful Utrecht to make the “world’s archetypal bi-directional city.”

Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 BEV is the archetypal exemplary to debut connected the Korean automaker’s E-GMP platform. Having experienced the IONIQ 5 wrong and out aggregate times, it remains 1 of our favourite EVs connected the marketplace today. When it archetypal debuted, 1 of the technologies we were excited astir was its vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, successful which your EV tin powerfulness different objects similar a TV, mobile office, mini fridge, oregon adjacent complaint different vehicle.

Earlier this month, Hyundai Motor Group shared news of 2 abstracted projects successful Europe to integrate vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities connected its IONIQ 5, meaning the EVs could nonstop vigor anywhere, whether its a device, a home, building, oregon the electrical grid.

Following its astir caller announcement, we person learned that Hyundai has introduced V2G tech successful 25 IONIQ 5 EVs with the assistance of We Drive Solar, with plentifulness much planned to enactment the bi-directional metropolis project.

Hyundai shared details of its V2G task with We Drive Solar successful a elaborate property release, explaining the plan of the bi-directional metropolis successful the Netherlands and its efforts to bring it to reality. We Drive Solar has redesigned the metropolis astir sustainability, but with an accent connected different forms of cleanable mobility similar walking and designated motorcycle paths.

When vehicles bash request to beryllium used, residents of Utrecht volition beryllium capable to thrust a shared car done We Drive Solar, offering EVs similar the IONIQ 5s equipped with V2G tech. The archetypal rollout is 25 BEVs, but Hyundai has already shared intentions to instrumentality 150 implicit the people of 2022. Michael Cole, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe spoke to the project:

We are precise arrogant to motorboat this task with We Drive Solar. At Hyundai, we judge that bi-directional charging successful operation with V2G exertion tin crook artillery electrical vehicles into flexible resources. IONIQ 5 and V2G exertion not lone connection an alternate solution for customers looking to determination distant from accepted combustion engines, but besides helps to summation the viability of renewable vigor procreation wrong the grid.

In the Utrecht region, renewables similar star and upwind powerfulness are the main sources of energy. That vigor tin past beryllium stored successful the artillery packs of the IONIQ 5s to thrust astir arsenic shared vehicles, but besides usage V2G capabilities to nonstop that stored vigor backmost to the metropolis during highest hours. This tin assistance destruct immoderate dependency connected fossil-fuels… a prospective aboriginal that gives america chills.

The 900-year-old portion of Utrecht has already implemented implicit 1,000 bi-directional EV chargers that tin not lone replenish the Hyundai EVs utilizing upwind and solar, but let those aforesaid vehicles to nonstop vigor backmost erstwhile needed.

The extremity of Hyundai’s collaboration with We Drive Solar is to marque Utrecht the archetypal portion successful the satellite with a bi-directional vigor ecosystem, and they’re good connected their way.

I fell successful emotion with the V2L exertion connected the IONIQ 5 erstwhile I got my archetypal up adjacent look astatine it a twelvemonth ago. The anticipation of V2G capabilities could beryllium perfectly tremendous for not lone Hyundai oregon Utrecht, but the car manufacture arsenic a whole.

The tech is already here. New EVs coming retired similar the Ford F-150 Lightning volition travel with vehicle-to-home capabilities, but cannot yet nonstop vigor backmost to the grid. That volition instrumentality immoderate infrastructural changes and regulations, but the imaginable of being capable to merchantability your EVs vigor backmost to the metropolis feels inevitable.

It’s already happening successful the commercialized EV segment, a immense crushed wherefore I deliberation buses and past mile transportation trucks volition spot a overmuch quicker complaint of adoption compared to user vehicles.

There’s inactive a agelong mode to spell earlier V2G becomes a commonly utilized operation successful our time to time lives, but Hyundai is helping get nine 1 measurement closer. I find this each rather breathtaking and would emotion to sojourn Utrecht someday.

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