01/10/2026
⚡ From Electric Vehicle to Energy Asset: Understanding V2G
By Thabo Mboweni | Digital Transformation Leader — Digital Communication & Technologies
The electric vehicle conversation is often framed around mobility.
But there is another dimension worth examining:
What happens when an EV battery becomes part of the energy system?
That is the promise of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) — a model in which a compatible electric vehicle can not only receive electricity from the grid, but, through bidirectional charging equipment, send electricity back when conditions and grid arrangements allow.
The International Energy Agency’s 2026 analysis identifies smart and bidirectional charging as an emerging mechanism for shifting electricity demand, supporting grid services and potentially reducing pressure on future grid infrastructure.
🔋 From charging point to two-way energy system
Traditional EV charging follows a relatively simple path:
GRID → CHARGER → EV BATTERY
V2G introduces another direction:
GRID ↔ BIDIRECTIONAL CHARGER ↔ EV BATTERY
This changes the role of the vehicle.
An EV can become a mobile energy-storage resource when it is connected, technically capable and appropriately controlled.
The U.S. Department of Energy describes bidirectional EVs as mobile storage that can support buildings, microgrids and, through V2G, grid services.
⚙️ How the system works
A V2G ecosystem typically involves several layers:
1. EV Battery
Stores electrical energy that can be used for mobility or, under suitable conditions, external power services.
2. Bidirectional Charger
Manages AC/DC conversion and allows electricity to flow in both directions.
3. Energy Management & Control
Determines when the vehicle should charge, remain available or discharge according to operational requirements.
4. Grid Interface
Connects the system to the electricity network while maintaining appropriate protection, communications and interconnection requirements.
5. Digital Intelligence
Coordinates vehicle availability, charging requirements, energy demand, tariffs and grid signals.
The important point is that V2G is not simply a bigger charger.
It is an integration problem spanning automotive engineering, power electronics, software, communications, cybersecurity, energy markets and grid operations.
🌐 Why this matters
The value proposition goes beyond sending electricity back to the grid.
Bidirectional EVs can potentially support:
⚡ Peak-demand management
🔋 Distributed energy storage
🏢 Building resilience
☀️ Integration of renewable generation
📊 Demand-response services
🔄 Load shifting
🏠 Vehicle-to-home applications
🚍 Fleet energy management
The U.S. Department of Energy notes that managed and bidirectional charging can help reduce charging costs, manage peak demand and integrate distributed energy resources.
🚍 Fleets could become particularly interesting
Consider an electric bus fleet.
During operating hours, the buses are primarily mobility assets.
When they return to a depot and remain connected for several hours, their batteries potentially become an aggregated energy resource.
That creates an interesting convergence:
TRANSPORT + ENERGY + DATA + AI
A fleet-management platform could coordinate:
Route → Arrival → State of Charge → Charging Requirement → Grid Conditions → Energy Dispatch → Departure Readiness
The objective should never be to discharge vehicles simply because energy is available.
The system must first protect the vehicle's primary purpose:
> The vehicle must be ready when it needs to move.
Grid participation becomes an additional capability around that operational requirement.
🇿🇦 What could this mean for South Africa?
For South Africa, the opportunity deserves to be considered within the broader transition toward smart mobility, distributed energy resources and digitally managed infrastructure.
V2G could eventually connect several ecosystems that are usually planned separately:
Electric Mobility
↓
Charging Infrastructure
↓
Distributed Energy
↓
Digital Energy Management
↓
Smart Grid
This creates opportunities for research and innovation across automotive manufacturing, fleet operations, energy management, software engineering and telecommunications.
But there are also important questions.
The hard part isn't the concept. It's the ecosystem.
Successful V2G deployment requires consideration of:
Vehicle and charger compatibility
Grid interconnection requirements
Standards and interoperability
Battery degradation and warranty considerations
Cybersecurity
Communications infrastructure
Tariff and market structures
Fleet availability
Energy-management algorithms
Consumer and fleet-owner incentives
The IEA notes that significant benefits are possible, but barriers remain as V2G deployment develops.
🧠 The 4IR opportunity
This is where I see the deeper digital-transformation opportunity.
V2G + IoT + AI + Cloud + Digital Twins + Energy Analytics
can create an intelligent mobility-energy ecosystem.
Imagine a digital twin representing an electric fleet in real time:
Vehicle State
→ Battery State of Charge
→ Route Requirements
→ Charging Availability
→ Energy Prices
→ Grid Demand
→ Renewable Generation
→ Operational Constraints
→ Optimised Energy Decision
The intelligence layer can then coordinate thousands of distributed assets rather than treating every vehicle and charger as an isolated device.
That is a fundamentally different way of thinking about mobility infrastructure.
🔭 From vehicles to distributed infrastructure
The future of electric mobility may therefore be about more than replacing an internal-combustion engine with an electric drivetrain.
It could involve transforming vehicles into connected, software-defined energy assets.
The strategic question becomes:
How do we design transportation systems that can intelligently interact with the energy systems around them?
For South Africa, that question sits at the intersection of automotive manufacturing, energy security, digital transformation, local innovation and the emerging intelligent mobility economy.
The vehicle of the future may not simply consume energy.
It may also participate in managing it.
My perspective
As a Digital Transformation Leader working across digital communication and technologies, I see V2G as an example of why 4IR cannot be approached through individual technologies in isolation.
The opportunity is created at the intersection:
🚗 Mobility + ⚡ Energy + 🧠 Intelligence + 📡 Connectivity + 🔐 Digital Trust
The real transformation happens when these systems begin working together.
Innovation | Intelligence | Impact
