Vehicle2Grid is a new technology that allows bi-directional charging. Bi-directional charging enables electric vehicles (EVs) to charge and to give energy back to the electricity grid. The goal of this technology is to balance the electricity grid and avoid peak usage times. The technical side of Vehicle2Grid is in development, but the system lacks a user-centred solution which meets the demands of the EV drivers and enables them to use the system. The goal of this project was to discover wishes, needs and fears of EV drivers concerning Vehicle2Grid as well as difficulties which might come along with the use of this technology. The gained insights were used to develop a service concept which addresses these needs, fears and wishes, fits in the daily practices of EV drivers. This project was my master thesis at TU Delft and is partly framed within a pilot project which aims to test Vehicle2Grid in Amsterdam.

The project is called V2X and is a cooperation of the Hoogschool van Amsterdam, Alliander, Cofely, Amsterdam Smart City and Mitsubishi. Previous user research performed within this pilot project was analyzed, literature research was done and stakeholder interviews were conducted to comprehend the full scope of the project. In order to understand the target group and to find out what their needs and fears concerning Vehicle2Grid are, a co-creation session with six EV drivers was conducted. The results were translated into necessary features for a service concept. The first part of the Master thesis was performed in collaboration with the MediaLAB Amsterdam and targeted the development of a working mobile application which will be used by 10 participants within the V2X pilot in Amsterdam. The app enables EV drivers to use Vehicle2Grid. A mobile application called Greengrid 2.0 was designed and developed. The second part of the thesis was done individually and concentrated on the development of a full-service concept aimed to enable the use of Vehicle2Grid on a bigger scale. Research showed that a large part of the Dutch EV drivers are also energy producers and have a strong interest in direct energy trade. Therefore Vehicle2Grid and a platform allowing direct energy trade were combined within one service concept. A prototype of a mobile application and a website were designed. These digital products are the means which facilitate the service. The final concept was tested and evaluated with seven EV drivers, E- mobility experts and the pilot project stakeholders. This evaluation led to requirements for further development and research areas.