Electric share cars will feed power back into Utrecht to combat grid congestion

Renault Group, MyWheels and We Drive Solar together with the municipality of Utrecht announce the first large-scale Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) shared car project in Europe. V2G technology allows electric vehicles to store energy from and feed back to the local grid during peak hours, making renewable energy available 24 hours a day. The project combines share car service and advanced technology to balance the local energy grid while supporting the transition to sustainable urban mobility.

The Netherlands has seen strong growth in solar and wind energy, but faces major challenges in managing grid congestion. The initiative by Renault Group, MyWheels and We Drive Solar shows the potential that public-private partnerships have to promote both green energy and sustainable mobility. With more than 35 percent of roofs covered with solar panels, Utrecht lends itself perfectly to the rollout of this initiative.

MyWheels, the largest shared car platform in the Netherlands, will manage a fleet of 500 Renault electric vehicles consisting of Renault 5 and Renault 4 E-Tech models. The cars will be placed in Utrecht from March 2025 to fulfill their dual role as urban mobility solutions and energy buffers. The electric share cars provide 10 percent of the flexibility needed in the Utrecht region to balance solar and wind energy over day and night.

Share cars as 'driving neighborhood battery'

We Drive Solar, international leader in V2G charging solutions, installed the first bi-directional charging poles in Utrecht in 2019, under the watchful eye of King Willem-Alexander. After several tests with electric cars, partners were found in MyWheels and Renault to scale up the technology.

Utrecht alderman Eva Oosters (Environment and Emission Free Transport): "With this initiative we show how shared mobility and smart technology together can accelerate the energy transition. By using electric shared cars as driving neighborhood batteries, we create sustainable, self-sufficient neighborhoods and free up space for greenery and livability in the city. It is a beautiful, important step forward and hopefully the beginning of many more such innovative collaborations in Europe."

Laurens van de Vijver, CEO of MyWheels, said, "With the collaboration, we are answering two challenges - the mobility and energy transition - with one solution: a driving neighborhood battery. The deployment of technology makes it possible to use electric shared cars for two purposes. Based on usage and reservations, we ensure that share cars have enough energy to drive around, while we deploy the remaining capacity to support the local energy grid at peak hours."