Honda Energy Management
Honda's vision for a sustainable future energy supply incorporates a range of products and services to offer a comprehensive solution for EV customers and service operators. This incorporates urban charging solutions, domestic power chargers, commercial energy services and in the future, vehicle to grid (V2G) technology.
Honda Power Manager Prototype
Honda Power Manager Prototype previews a bidirectional system that connects electric vehicles to a smart power grid. This vehicle-to-grid technology enables the collection and distribution of electricity between EVs and the grid to intelligently balance demand and supply of energy and make better use of renewable sources.
The development of these charging functions will integrate electric vehicles further with existing power networks, allowing energy stored in the vehicle battery to power the home, or to flow back into the energy grid during periods of high demand. The vehicle battery can then be replenished at a time when demand is lower, subject to limits defined by the user.
Honda has developed this technology with bi-directional charging specialists EVTEC.
Moixa
Honda is also partnering with Moixa (
www.moixa.com) the UK’s leading smart battery company. Moixa makes smart batteries and GridShare software to manage smart charging of batteries and electric vehicles. GridShare® manages over 50MWh of residential batteries across 6000 homes in the UK and Japan – forming one of the world’s largest virtual power plants. The software uses AI to learn and optimise daily charging, leveraging low carbon resources and time-of-day tariffs. GridShare platform also enables utilities to aggregate and manage large fleets of batteries and electric vehicles in order to deliver flexibility services into ancillary markets.
While the EV is plugged in, the Power Manager system can help to stabilise the grid at times of either short or surplus supply, storing energy efficiently, releasing electricity back into the home or selling it to the power grid at times of high demand. It also represents a potential revenue opportunity for EV owners. For example, a user could charge cost-effectively during the night when load on the grid is lower, and then, if that energy is not required for driving, it can be accessed during peak times by the grid.
Using the smart system, Honda EV owners will be able to programme charging schedules remotely through their connected My Honda+ app, considering when the best tariffs are available, the potential energy source, and how much charging time is available before the car is required again.
The development of these charging functions will integrate electric vehicles further with existing power networks, while also enabling the possibility of ultra-rapid energy transfer to the vehicle. So-called V2X functions comprise vehicle-to-grid (V2G), vehicle-to-load (V2L), and vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging scenarios, all of which make use of the large amounts of energy that can be stored within electric vehicle batteries.
EV-specific electricity tariff
Honda is also collaborating with Vattenfall to provide the world's first flexible electricity tariff specifically tailored for EV owners. Initially available in the UK and Germany, the energy tariffs will play a key role in the effectiveness of Honda’s Power Manager.
In a letter of intent, signed on 23 October 2019, the two companies confirmed their intentions to jointly develop and market a flexible electricity tariff that will allow EVs to be charged at the most cost-effective times, relative to grid demand. The tariffs – available to owners of any brand of electric vehicle – also promote the use of electricity generated through renewable sources including hydropower and wind farms, further realising Honda's vision for a sustainable future