- Power Pack from Octopus and BYD will costs less than £300 a month
- It will include a leased V2G-ready BYD Dolphin, a bi-directional Zaptec Pro charger and access to a smart tariff and free home charging
- The bundle will be available to UK consumers this autumn
Octopus Energy, the UK’s biggest energy company, has partnered with BYD to launch the Power Pack Bundle, the UK’s first vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bundle, in a bid to make electric vehicles (EVs) more accessible than ever.
Unveiled at Octopus Energy’s Energy Tech Summit, the Power Pack Bundle costs less than £300 a month and will include a leased V2G-ready BYD Dolphin, a bi-directional Zaptec Pro charger and access to a smart tariff that offers completely free home charging.
Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy Group, said typical EV drivers can slash their annual bills by £620 compared to charging on a standard tariff and save nearly £1,000 compared to fuelling a petrol car. V2G transforms EVs into ‘batteries on wheels’, allowing them to charge when electricity is cheap and send it back to the National Grid when electricity is expensive.
Jackson added this reduces the grid’s reliance on dirty fossil fuel plants, without hampering the car’s main job of getting from A to B.
The Power Pack Bundle will be powered by Octopus Energy’s tech platform, Kraken, where drivers will simply plug the car in overnight and the tech will do the rest.
The fully automated process guarantees free charging at home for every mile driven during the lease.
Stell Li, executive vice president, BYD, said it is thrilled to launch the project and that it is “fully committed” to making intelligent, innovative and sustainable technologies available to customers.
“This project will allow them to unlock the full potential of EVs, not just as transport, but as dynamic assets that can play a key role in supporting the grid,” Li said.
“Together with Octopus Energy, we’re enabling EV owners to play an active role in the energy ecosystem, reducing costs and increasing the resilience of renewable power systems.”
This is the first time V2G technology is built into the car itself, eliminating the need for a costly first-generation V2G charger, Jackson explains. As more V2G-ready vehicles hit the road, hundreds of thousands of EVs could soon act as mini power stations.
“Octopus is uniquely placed to lease the cars, having launched its own EV business, Octopus Electric Vehicles in 2021,” Jackson said. “Now, Octopus EV has grown to become the largest EV-only leasing business in the UK.”
Both Octopus and BYD have also partnered with Motability Operations, the UK’s largest leasing company, to make the V2G technology available to disabled people across the country, ensuring low-cost electric driving is accessible to all.
“Bi-directional charging is the game-changer for drivers and the grid. By using some of the battery’s spare capacity to help balance the grid, we can offer free driving. V2G is going to revolutionise our energy system and help drive costs down.”
