HERIOT-WATT University and energy systems company Flexible Power Systems (FPS) have been awarded two government grants to explore how vehicle technologies could evolve to reduce emissions in the commercial and freight sector.
The first project ‘Integrated Energy Systems for Commercial Vehicles’ will assess the technical challenges and business models related to vehicle to grid technology (V2G) adoption among commercial vehicle operators.
As well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions while in transit, electric vehicles have the potential to return stored energy in their batteries back to the grid when parked. This is particularly relevant to commercial vehicles, which have predictable operating patterns and congregate in large numbers at depots, meaning that larger quantities of firm power could be available from these areas.