Cenex has modelled potential electricity-cost reductions from the 3ti V2X DC FastHub at a range of commercial sites, including fleet depots, offices, factories and golf-club or destination locations.
The assessment examines the 3ti V2X DC FastHub Demonstration project, which was supported through Innovate UK’s V2X Phase 2 programme. The wider project was led by 3ti Energy Hubs, working with Turbo Power Systems, GridBeyond and Cenex.
The system evaluated was deployed at UTAC Millbrook, a mixed-use commercial environment with fleet, staff and prototype-vehicle activity. Cenex then used its EIGER modelling tool to assess performance beyond the conditions encountered during the deployment.
The Papilio3 FastHub configuration included 12 bidirectional 30kW chargers, a 280kWh battery-energy storage system and 20kWp of solar generation. Its architecture combines solar, battery storage and EV charging within a DC microgrid, with the intention of reducing losses associated with repeated power conversion.
Under a conventional two-rate tariff, Cenex’s modelling indicated annual electricity-cost reductions of about £3,200 for a fleet depot, £2,600 for an office, £3,700 for a golf club and £18,200 for a factory. In the dynamic-tariff scenarios cited, the modelled reductions exceeded £13,000 for both depot and office cases, approached £14,000 for the golf-club case and exceeded £90,000 for the factory case.
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Those figures relate to electricity costs only. They exclude capital expenditure and operating costs, and therefore do not represent net business-case savings. Cenex also noted that the results are modelled outcomes rather than evidence that all fleets or sites will achieve the same savings.
Real-world viability will depend on factors including site demand profiles, tariff structures, solar output, vehicle availability, battery constraints and the cost of installing the equipment.
The report found that the addition of the hub enabled grid-import capacity to be reduced while accommodating additional EV charging demand in three of the four site types modelled. This is particularly relevant to depots with constrained electricity connections or where reinforcement of the local connection could be costly.
Vehicle-to-grid operation is one form of vehicle-to-everything technology, allowing an EV to provide energy beyond its own charging load. The assessment focuses on behind-the-meter site optimisation, rather than exporting power to the public electricity network.
Cenex identified a trade-off in the modelled operation: greater savings from bidirectional charging can require more intensive use of vehicle batteries.
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