GridX will market the loading flexibility of electric fleets in the electricity market.
GridX is expanding its energy management for charging infrastructure to include the marketing of flexibility. This new white-label offering targets fleet and logistics companies, among others, and aims to include charging parks with MCS systems for heavy electric trucks as well.
Through GridBox, gridX integrates charging points into its energy management system.
Image: GridX
To achieve this, the E.ON subsidiary determines based on the charge level, target charge level, and remaining battery life which portion of a vehicle’s electricity consumption can be delayed. The charging stations are connected via gridBox as a local energy management gateway, while charging plans and requirements come from the charging station or fleet management system. If data is missing, the system uses estimates or default values according to gridX.
The flexibility of multiple vehicles identified in this way can then be aggregated into a portfolio. Energy traders can take this into account when sourcing electricity on the wholesale market before distributing the relevant signals back to individual charging processes. A two-way charging function, or Vehicle-to-Grid, is not required for this purpose. Instead, only the ability to adjust electricity consumption within the available driving range is utilized.
gridX already offers dynamic charging today. For example, the company’s Xenon platform can be used in E.ON’s Dynamic Charge service to optimize charging based on electricity prices and integrate local energy systems. With the new product, gridX takes another step forward by aggregating the flexibility of multiple vehicles for marketing in the energy market.
This is particularly interesting for larger electric truck fleets with correspondingly high energy demands. According to gridX, the offering also supports DC charging stations and megawatt-level charging systems. For a unidirectional electric truck with a 400 kWh battery capacity and a daily charging requirement of 180 kWh, the company calculates that savings of up to 6,000 euros per year can be achieved compared to a fixed price. However, the actual value depends on factors such as uptime, charging power, electricity price fluctuations, and business strategy.
gridX already has experience with aggregation from its private charging stations. According to the company, it currently aggregates the flexibility of around 16,000 cloud-connected electric vehicles in German households and makes it available for sale in wholesale and balancing energy markets. This model is now being extended to commercial and (semi-)public charging locations. In the future, photovoltaic systems and battery storage are also set to be included in this flexibility market.