Centrica and Lotus partner up on electric vehicle energy storage

Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has announced a new strategic partnership with auto manufacturer Lotus to give electric vehicle (EV) owners more viability to store electricity and reduce household emissions.


Centrica and Lotus partner up on electric vehicle energy storage

Centrica will also oversee a new sustainability programme focused on low-carbon technologies that will enable Lotus to mitigate the environmental impacts across its operations

The two companies are working together on a new model for EV ownership that will extend to domestic use by making EVs capable of storing energy from households. A “breakthrough new energy product” and platform will also be launched to connect vehicles and homes.

Centrica’s chief executive Chris O’Shea said: “We are committed to helping our customers and communities achieve net-zero and to do so, we must enable the change to electric vehicles. We have the technology, the skills and the scale to do this and our partnership with Lotus is another step in bringing our commitment to life.”

The two firms will also work to set up a new global charging an energy infrastructure platform that will assist with Lotus’s plans to reach net-zero emissions and roll out more EVs.

Additionally, Centrica will also oversee a new sustainability programme focused on low-carbon technologies that will enable Lotus to mitigate the environmental impacts across its operations, from manufacturing through to sales. Lotus employees will also be guided on this platform.

Lotus Cars’ chief executive Phil Popham said: “Our journey to net-zero carbon is absolutely lock-in-step with the Vision 80 strategy for Lotus – taking us to eighty years of the business in 2028.  By then we will have transformed Lotus into a truly global player in the high-performance high-technology sector with a new range of cars that remain true to our fundamental promise of always being ‘For The Drivers’. 

“The difference is the energy and infrastructure that will power and support these products in the future – this new partnership demonstrates the progress being made and the ambition of our vision.”

Energy and auto partnership

This isn’t the only example of an energy firm partnering with a car maker. Nissan and EDF have signed an agreement to collaboratively develop and launch a “smart” EV charging package for businesses, including vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capacity.

V2G is still an emerging area in the smart, flexible energy space, but the technology is rapidly gaining traction among businesses and policymakers.

Plugging electric vehicles (EVs) into the grid could cut £270m a year off the cost of running the UK power system by 2030, according to a study compiled by a consortium of experts including Cenex, Element Energy, Energy Systems Catapult, National Grid ESO, Nissan, Moixa and Western Power Distribution.

The UK Government is investing £20m to support V2G projects, while V2G offerings are now being offered by companies such as OVO Energy.

Matt Mace

Comments (3)

  1. Richard Phillips says:

    This concerns the use of electricity in EVs. All very fine, but the power has to be generated in the first place.
    If EVs become the main component (there are those who wish to see them as the only component), from where will the power come???
    Coal is out, Gas, our principal on demand generator, but the CO2 fanatics. Renewables remain.
    Renewables really mean wind or solar. Solar is out overnight, just when EVs, in the main are recharged. Wind is uncontrollably variable.
    From April 23/24, until 29/30th, last month,wind generation dropped to below 2.5GW, and was as low as below 1GW .
    The installed capacity is now above 22GW, which implies an expected average of about 9GW.
    BUT THIS NOT ON DEMAND, WHICH IS THE ONLY USEFUL GENERATION.
    The only generator left is nuclear, which ticks all the boxes, but scares the technically uninformed, including most politicians, out of their wits.
    That this generator is sufficiently flexible for nearly all our needs has been demonstrated in France which achieved 83% nuclear, and hydro.
    But here little is happening, it all has to be done by private industry.
    Pity it was all put to bed by a certain Prime Minister some 30 years ago.
    Now we wait for the wind to blow, and pour public money into wind farms.
    £13 billion in subsidy last year!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Richard Phillips

  2. Stephen Perfect says:

    The comment from Richard Phillips’ supporting the use of nuclear energy because the sun doesn’t shine at night and the wind doesn’t always blow, is so last century. The wind and solar industry is showing we have moved on from that mentality. We know that nuclear is not the answer because it depends upon a finite fuel source and we haven’t dealt with the radioactive waste that was produced in nuclear plants 60 years ago. That’s why every of subsidy spent on wind and solar is a step forward, and every spent on nuclear is a leap back.

  3. Stephen Perfect says:

    The comment from Richard Phillips’ supporting the use of nuclear energy because the sun doesn’t shine at night and the wind doesn’t always blow, is so last century. The wind and solar industry is showing we have moved on from that mentality. We know that nuclear is not the answer because it depends upon a finite fuel source and we haven’t dealt with the radioactive waste that was produced in nuclear plants 60 years ago. That’s why every of subsidy spent on wind and solar is a step forward, and every spent on nuclear is a leap back.

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