The nation's first full-link integrated test on large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interaction was kicked off in Shanghai on March 31, according to the State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Co.

Shanghai was among the first batch of nine pilot cities for promoting large-scale vehicle-to-grid interaction applications, and will conduct four of total 30 pilot projects, according to a notice jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Energy Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Administration for Market Regulation.

Vehicle-to-grid interaction is aimed to turn new energy vehicles into power banks, which could get charged during off-peak power consumption time, and transmit power to the power grid during peak time. The municipal government of Shanghai issued a work plan for new energy storage demonstration earlier this year, setting a target of building between 30,000 and 50,000 intelligent piles for both charging and discharging by 2030.

The nation's first full-link integrated test on large-scale vehicle-to-grid interaction would be conducted from March 31 through the end of April, involving 19 models from 10 car companies and 13 V2G charging piles of nine pile companies. The test would cover vehicles including electric passenger cars, electric buses, electric heavy trucks, among others.

"As one of the cities to pilot large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) interaction application, Shanghai has built an intelligent charging network with a capacity of 300,000 kilowatts, along with the V2G discharge capacity of 20,000 kilowatts. Through evaluating equipment compatibility, grid adaptability, demand response flexibility, Shanghai is expected to promote more technological breakthroughs and interactions along the industry," said Shen Bing, deputy chief engineer of State Grid Shanghai's electric power research institute.