Renault and EDF are creating a two-way charging service
The Renault Group and Électricité de France (EDF) are launching a new bidirectional charging service in France this coming summer: the solution includes an electric vehicle, a wallbox, and intelligent charging management. Owners of electric vehicles from the Renault, Alpine, and Dacia brands are expected to be able to feed electricity back into the vehicle’s battery using this service.
Image: Renault
Renault and the French energy company EDF have launched a partnership with EDF’s subsidiaries IZI by EDF and Dreev to accelerate the development of smart charging solutions for electric vehicles. The key concept here is bidirectional charging. As an initial step, the partners plan to introduce a bidirectional charging service for private customers next summer. Specifically, interested parties will be offered a complete package through Renault Group’s dealer network, which includes the installation of a home charging station (performed by IZI by EDF) along with an intelligent charging management service.
The agreement covers three areas of cooperation for single-family homes, which the partners aim to refine until the product launches: first, the distribution and installation of chargers for residential customers. Second, services to simplify and optimize the charging process. Third, developing services that allow the energy stored in the vehicle to be used for specific household applications or fed back into the power grid when needed.
"This partnership goes beyond technological innovations and offers a concrete solution to two key concerns of French consumers: purchasing power and the energy transition," says Jérôme Faton, Vice President Customer Experience & Energy at Renault Group. "By helping to better control charging costs and creating new ways to utilize the value of energy, Renault Group and EDF Group aim to make electric mobility more attractive and accessible across the country."
Christelle Vives, President of EDF Business Services, added: “This alliance demonstrates how two leading French companies can combine their strengths to advance competitive, sovereign, and low-CO2 mobility. The EDF Group possesses extensive expertise in smart charging solutions, which are already being provided by our subsidiary Dreev to over 100,000 customers in France and Europe. By integrating innovative energy technologies with services tailored to consumers’ needs, the Renault Group and the EDF Group are strengthening a national industrial ecosystem that creates value, jobs, and innovation.”