This year, Europe’s first comprehensive Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) car-sharing system is launching in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Utrecht Energized proves that bidirectional charging can work not just in pilot projects, but also in everyday urban life. The project marks a significant milestone on the path to a fully functional V2G ecosystem. The aim is to stabilize the local power grid while providing residents with an affordable and sustainable mobility solution. This makes Utrecht a pioneer in the integration of electromobility and power grids in Europe.
Utrecht Energized is a joint initiative by Renault Group, We Drive Solar, MyWheels and the Municipality of Utrecht. The system has been officially in operation since June 2025. It is initially deploying 50 Renault 5 E-Tech electric vehicles equipped with Mobilize’s bidirectional technology. These vehicles can not only draw power from the grid, but also feed energy back into it as needed – a decisive step towards making the energy system more flexible.
The charging infrastructure is provided by We Drive Solar, a Dutch supplier, which has spent years building a dense network of V2G-capable AC charging points across Utrecht. These stations can be seamlessly integrated into existing urban grids and are linked to local photovoltaic systems. Excess solar power can thus flow directly into the vehicle batteries, while the stored energy is released back into the grid during periods of high grid demand.
The project was announced back in November 2024, with the plan being to expand the fleet to as many as 500 vehicles. According to We Drive Solar, these vehicles could eventually provide up to ten percent of the flexibility required to balance supply and demand in Utrecht’s regional power grid.
The launch of Utrecht Energized creates a functioning real-world laboratory for the interaction of mobility, the power grid and renewable energies. Bidirectional charging allows electric vehicles to charge when plenty of solar power is available and feed it back into the grid during peak loads. This relieves congestion in local grids and ensures that surplus electricity is used efficiently.
The project has several key benefits:
- Stabilization of the local power grid by allowing vehicles to supply or absorb energy at short notice.
- More efficient use of renewable energy, as solar power is stored locally and fed back into the grid as needed.
- Reduction in urban energy consumption, as fewer peak loads need to be balanced and expensive reserve capacities are avoided.
- Increased profitability of car sharing fleets, as revenue can be generated not only through mobility but also through grid services.
The city of Utrecht offers ideal conditions for this: Around 35 percent of the city’s rooftops are already equipped with solar panels. The car sharing system integrates seamlessly into this structure, making locally generated electricity usable.
The project in Utrecht demonstrates how bidirectional charging can also work in other cities. The key lies in close collaboration between vehicle manufacturers, utility companies, charging infrastructure operators and mobility service providers, as local conditions can vary greatly. The Utrecht Energized project therefore provides a blueprint for urban areas that integrate car sharing, photovoltaics and grid stabilization into a cohesive system.
For such models to be implemented across the board in the future, however, a suitable regulatory framework is essential. Issues such as feed-in tariffs, grid charges and access to the electricity market play a decisive role. In this context, Utrecht is calling for targeted political support to help establish bidirectional concepts on a national scale.
The central idea behind bidirectional charging is the dual use of car sharing vehicles: They serve individual mobility needs while simultaneously acting as flexible energy storage devices. Instead of keeping countless private vehicles parked and idle, a smaller, shared fleet can meet a city’s mobility needs – and stabilize the energy system at the same time.
Over time, this approach could also reduce the need for large stationary battery storage systems. Studies conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute and the Technical University of Munich show that the widespread use of V2G-enabled vehicles could reduce energy storage requirements by up to 90 percent. Utrecht is now providing practical evidence that this vision is achievable – and that mobility and energy will be inextricably linked in the future