Electric cars gear up for role as energy stores

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is offering firms a share in £20 million earmarked for research projects exploring how electric cars can better connect with the UK's national power grid.

The programme aims to iron out the "peaks and troughs" in energy use by developing vehicles that can be supplied with electricity from the grid when demand is low and can act as a source of power at peak periods, BEIS announced on 10 July.

There are competitions for feasibility studies (£2m), collaborative R&D (£4m) and real-world demonstrators (£14m). Eligible projects may investigate novel business models, consumer awareness, and technologies that facilitate transactions between electric vehicles and the grid.