Renault 5 owners will be able to use two-way charging to halve their overall electricity bill by feeding electricity from the vehicle back into their home and selling power back to the grid. The Mobilize V2G system will also be available on future Renault electric vehicles.

As with the V2G technology being offered by Kia, charging is bidirectional so it is possible to schedule charging for when energy is cheap, then inject power back into the home when electricity is expensive and into the wider grid when demand is high.

Renault’s Mobilize V2G service utilises the company’s first bidirectional on-board charger linked to a special home charger called the Mobilize Powerbox. The company is working with energy suppliers to design special tariffs.

In addition to feeding electricity into the power grid, the bidirectional charger can be used for ‘vehicle-to-load’ functions to powering electrical appliances, as seen on rivals from MG, Kia and Hyundai.

"Thanks to Mobilize V2G, cars become an energy reserve. All drivers have to do is regularly connect their vehicle to the Powerbox to optimise their electricity bill and cut carbon from their mobility. On average, the cost of charging is cut by half. That is how Mobilize’s mobility solutions are more sustainable and affordable," said Corinne Frasson, Director of Energy Services at Mobilize.

Renault say V2G will halve energy bills