Funding competition Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) bi-directional charging Phase 1

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2 million funding from BEIS to develop V2X bi-directional charging prototype hardware, software or business models.

This competition is now closed.

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Competition sections

Description

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) will invest up to £2 million in innovative Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) research and development projects. This phase 1 investment will be delivered through Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

The aims of this competition are to:

  • unlock and expand the energy flexibility potential of Electric Vehicle (EV) bi-directional charging technologies and business models in the UK
  • accelerate commercialisation of V2X technologies and services
  • increase business and consumer interest in V2X
  • bring together diverse stakeholders across the energy and transport sectors to overcome barriers to V2X deployment

This competition is the first phase of a two phase V2X innovation programme with total funding of £11.4million. A separate competition for small scale V2X demonstrations is planned for 2023.

Phase 1 projects must deliver prototype hardware, software or business models which reduce barriers to entry for domestic or non-domestic use of V2X bi-directional chargers to provide energy flexibility services.

In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated.

Funding type

Grant

Project size

Your project’s total costs must be between £150,000 and £300,000.

Who can apply

Your project

Your project must:

  • have total costs between £150,000 and £300,000
  • start on 1 September 2022
  • end by 31 August 2023
  • carry out its project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Your project must involve a minimum of 2 collaborative grant claiming organisations from across the energy and transport sectors.

You must only include eligible project costs in your application.

If your total project’s costs or duration falls outside of our eligibility criteria, you must provide justification by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes. We will decide whether to approve your request. If you have not requested approval or your application has not been approved by us, you will be made ineligible. Your application will then not be sent for assessment.

Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian source.

Lead organisation

To lead a project your organisation must:

  • be a UK registered business of any size
  • collaborate with other UK registered organisations to deliver this project

Academic institutions cannot lead a project.


Project team

To collaborate with the lead, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

  • business of any size
  • academic institution
  • charity
  • not-for-profit
  • public sector organisation
  • research and technology organisation (RTO)

Each partner organisation must be invited into the Innovation Funding Service by the lead to collaborate on a project. Once accepted, partners will be asked to login or to create an account and enter their own project costs into the Innovation Funding Service.

The lead and at least one other organisation must claim funding by entering their costs during the application.

Your project can include partners that do not receive any of this competition’s funding, for example non-UK businesses. Their costs will count towards the total project costs.

Academic institutions must have their research staff ready to start at the beginning of the project.

Subcontractors

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition.

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

You can use subcontractors from outside the UK but must make the case in your application as to why you could not use UK suppliers.

You must provide a detailed rationale, evidence of the potential UK contractors you approached and the reasons why they were unable to work with you. We will not accept a cheaper cost as a sufficient reason to use an overseas subcontractor.

All subcontractor costs must be justified and appropriate to the total project costs.

Subcontractors costs are limited to 30% of the total project costs. If your consortium is using more than one subcontractor, this maximum is shared between them.


Number of applications

A UK registered business of any size can only lead on one application but can be included as a collaborator in a further 2 applications.

If a UK registered business of any size is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

Academic institutions, charities, not-for-profit organisations, RTOs and public sector organisations can collaborate on any number of applications.

Previous applications

You cannot use a previously submitted application to apply for this competition.

We will not award you funding if you have:

Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)

This competition provides funding in line with the UK's obligations and commitments to Subsidy Control. Further information about the UK Subsidy Control requirements can be found within the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation agreement and the subsequent guidance from the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.

EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see our general guidance to check if these rules apply to your organisation.


Further Information

If you are unsure about your obligations under the UK Subsidy Control regime or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.

You must at all times make sure that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.
This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.

If there are any changes to the above requirements that mean we need to change the terms of this competition, we will tell you as soon as possible.

Eligibility Overview

This is a new way of showing you eligibility. Your feedback will help us to improve it.

Funding

Up to £2 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant.

If the majority of your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically.

For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:

  • up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
  • up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
  • up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For more information on company sizes, please refer to the company accounts guidance. This is a change from the EU definition unless you are applying under State aid.

If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.

Research participation

The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of the project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them.

Of that 30% you could get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:

  • 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic
  • 100% of your project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not-for-profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation

Your proposal

The aim of this competition is to fund collaborative projects which can unlock and expand the flexibility potential of electric vehicles (EVs) using bi-directional charging solutions.

Your project must deliver prototype hardware, software or business models which can reduce entry barriers for domestic or non-domestic use of V2X bi-directional chargers to provide energy flexibility services.

Proposals must address one or more of the following challenges:

  • reduce the cost gap between V2X and single direction smart charging without compromising safety or capability
  • develop next generation on or off-vehicle bi-directional charging using DC Combined Charging System (CCS), DC Charge de move (CHAdeMO) or AC V2X technology
  • develop innovative V2X commercial propositions different to the grid services and business models demonstrated in the UK to date
  • improve consumer experience of V2X operation
  • investigate V2X energy barriers and challenges to innovative solutions that increase the deployment and uptake of V2X

Your project must:

  • develop a solution which can be deployed at scale within 5 years
  • show a clear route to market including identifying end users and use-cases with appropriate business models
  • show how the future supply chain will be developed
  • show how your product or business model can be manufactured or deployed at scale
  • demonstrate the prototype hardware, software or business model in a laboratory setting
  • deliver a monthly report through the Project Manager to the Innovate UK appointed Monitoring Officer with progress against the project plan and financial forecasts
  • deliver a final report summarising the project’s achievements against its objectives, and the lessons learnt for future activity
  • deliver appropriate dissemination activities

Project participants can include, but are not limited to:

  • transport sector stakeholders such as vehicle manufacturers, charging infrastructure providers and operators
  • energy sector stakeholders such as distribution network operators (DNOs), energy suppliers, flexibility system operators, equipment or system developers
  • end users and infrastructure owners such as local authorities and fleet operators both public and private

V2X solutions for road vehicles are in scope for this competition, including special-use vehicles such as emergency response and refuse collection vehicles. However, priority will be given to those projects providing the highest flexibility potential.

We reserve the right to take a portfolio approach across different technologies, markets, technological maturities and research categories.

Specific themes

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

  • bi-directional charging equipment compatible with a wide range of EVs
  • bi-directional charging equipment using DC CCS, CHAdeMO or AC protocols
  • cost reduction of compatible bi-directional charging equipment or deployment costs
  • developing new business models to increase the range of V2X use-cases, for example in public charging locations or for freight vehicles
  • developing new V2X commercial propositions for example in new markets, such as V2H, V2B or for new services or stacking multiple revenues
  • providing valid and reliable data justifying revenue predictions for a range of market actors in the V2X ecosystem
  • exploring the opportunity for electric road vehicles, beyond cars, buses and light goods vehicles to provide quantifiable flexible energy services
  • providing technical solutions to optimise EV battery performance with V2X charging
  • making V2X charging more convenient for consumers

This list is not exhaustive.

Research categories

We will fund feasibility projects and industrial research projectsas defined in the guidance on categories of research.

Projects we will not fund

We are not funding projects that are:

  • not addressing compatible bi-directional EV charging technology
  • duplicating existing V2G technology, services or business models already demonstrated in the UK
  • proposing V2X solutions for non-road transport
  • dependent on export performance – for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
  • dependent on domestic inputs usage - for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product

24 March 2022
Online briefing event: watch the recording

24 March 2022 6:47pm
Competition opens
4 May 2022 11:00am
Competition closes
17 June 2022
Applicants notified

Before you start

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

What we ask you

The application is split into 3 sections:

1.Project details.

2.Application questions.

3.Finances.

1. Project details

This section provides background for the assessors and is not scored.

Application team

Decide which organisations will work with you on the project. Invite people from those organisations to help complete the application.

Application details

The lead applicant must complete this section. Give your project’s title, start date and duration.

Subsidy basis

Will the project, including any related activities you want Innovate UK to fund, affect trade between Northern Ireland and the EU?

You and all your project partners must respond and mark this question as complete, before you can submit your application.

Research category

Select the type of research you will undertake.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We collect and report on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data to address under-representation in business innovation and ensure equality, diversity and inclusion across all our activities.

All participants must complete this EDI survey and the lead applicant must then select yes in the application question. The survey will ask you questions on your gender, age, ethnicity and disability status. You will always have the option to ‘prefer not to say’ if you do not feel comfortable sharing this information.

Project summary

Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Public description

Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This could happen before you start your project.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

Scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope it will be immediately rejected and will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.

Your answer can be up to 400 words long.

2. Application questions

The assessors will score all your answers apart from question 1. You will receive feedback for each scored question. You must answer all questions. Your answer to each question can be up to 400 words long. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.

Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)

You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners working on the project. We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all applicants.

Question 2. Need or challenge

What is the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity behind your innovation?

Explain:

  • the main motivation for the project
  • the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
  • whether you have identified any similar innovation and its current limitations, including those close to market or in development
  • any work you have already done to respond to this need, for example if the project focuses on developing an existing capability or building a new one
  • the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity, such as incoming regulations, using our Horizons tool if appropriate·

Question 3. Approach and innovation

What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?

Explain:

  • how you will respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified
  • how will you improve on the existing V2G technology or services that you have identified
  • whether the innovation will focus on existing technologies in new EV bi-directional charging use cases or the development of new technologies or a totally disruptive approach
  • the freedom you have to operate
  • how this project fits with your current product, service lines or offerings
  • how it will make you more competitive
  • the nature of the outputs you expect from the project (for example report, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design) and how these will help you to target the need, challenge or opportunity identified

You can submit one appendix to support your answer. It can include diagrams and charts. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 4. Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Explain:

  • the roles, skills and experience of all members of the project team that are relevant to the approach you will be taking
  • the resources, equipment and facilities needed for the project and how you will access them, particularly in the light of any continuing COVID-19 restrictions
  • the details of any vital external parties, including subcontractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
  • if your project is collaborative, the current relationships between project partners and how these will change as a result of the project
  • any roles you will need to recruit for, taking into account the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the team structure

You can submit one appendix. This can include a short summary of the main people working on the project to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 4 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 5. Market awareness

What does the market you are targeting look like?

Describe:

  • the target markets for the project outcomes, any other potential markets (domestic, international or both)
  • the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by references where available
  • the structure and dynamics of the target markets, including customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes
  • the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models, and any barriers to entry that exist
  • the current UK position in targeting these markets
  • the size and main features of any other markets not already listed
If your project is highly innovative, where the market may be unexplored, describe or explain:

  • what the market’s size might be
  • how your project will try to explore the market’s potential

Question 6. Outcomes and route to market

How are you going to grow your business and increase long term productivity as a result of the project?

Explain:

  • your current position in the markets and supply or value chains outlined, and whether you will be extending or establishing your market position
  • your target customers or end users, and the value to them, for example why they would use or buy your product
  • your route to market within the next 5 years
  • how you are going to profit from the innovation, including increased revenues or cost reduction
  • how the innovation will affect your productivity and growth, in both the short and the long term
  • how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project, for example through know-how, patenting, designs or changes to your business model
  • your strategy for targeting the other markets you have identified during or after the project

If there is any research organisation activity in the project, describe:

  • your plans to spread the project’s research outputs over a reasonable timescale
  • how you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities

Question 7. Wider impacts

What impact might this project have outside the project team?

Describe and, where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project such as productivity increases and import substitution, to:

  • external parties
  • customers
  • others in the supply chain
  • broader industry
  • the UK economy

Describe and, where possible, measure:

  • any expected impact on government priorities
  • any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative
  • any expected regional impacts of the project

Describe any expected social impacts, either positive or negative on, for example:

  • quality of life
  • social inclusion or exclusion
  • jobs, such as safeguarding, creating, changing or displacing them
  • education
  • public empowerment
  • health and safety
  • regulations
  • diversity

Question 8. Project management

How will you manage your project effectively?

Explain:

  • the main work packages of your project, indicating the lead partner assigned to each and the total cost of each one
  • your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms you will use to get a successful and innovative project outcome
  • the management reporting lines
  • your project plan in enough detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones, taking into account the possible impact of further COVID-19 restrictions

You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 9. Risks

What are the main risks for this project?

Explain:

  • the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks, providing a risk register
  • how you will mitigate these risks
  • any project inputs that are critical to completion, such as resources, expertise, and data sets
  • any output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical issues and so on, and how you will manage this

You must submit a risk register as an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF, up to 2 A4 pages long and no larger than 10MB in size. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.

Question 10. Added value

How will this public funding help you to accelerate or enhance your approach to developing your project towards commercialisation? What impact would this award have on the organisations involved?

Explain:

  • what advantages would public funding offer your project, for example, appeal to investors, more partners, reduced risk or a faster route to market (this list is not exhaustive)
  • the likely impact of the project outcomes on the organisations involved
  • what other routes of investment have you already approached
  • what your project would look like without public funding
  • how this project would change the R&D activities of all the organisations involved

Question 11. Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

In terms of your project goals, explain:

  • your total project costs
  • the grant you are requesting
  • how each partner will finance their contributions to your project
  • how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer
  • how it compares to what you would spend your money on otherwise
  • the balance of costs and grant across the project partners
  • any subcontractor costs and why they are critical to your project

3. Finances

Each organisation in your project must complete their own project costs, organisation details and funding details in the application. Academic institutions must complete and upload a Je-S form.

For full details on what costs you can claim see our project costs guidance.

Background and further information

The 2021 Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan and the 2021 Net Zero Strategy, identified key BEIS policy priorities to enable the transition to a smart, flexible and decarbonised energy system. As part of the transition to Net Zero, government has committed to phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030. V2X can facilitate energy system flexibility by enabling the export of electricity from the batteries of EVs to other systems such as buildings, storage devices or the grid.

This competition aims to facilitate an increase in V2X capacity and further develop V2X technology and business model innovations, which will provide flexibility to support integration of additional renewable generation at lowest cost. It will be funded as part of £11.4m V2X innovation funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of their Flexibility Innovation Programme. This also forms a substantial part of the £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio announced in the Prime Minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution.

When delivering your project you may find it useful to engage with Ofgem’s Innovation Link which assists businesses looking to launch new products, services, methodologies and business models in the energy sector. It helps navigate the sector and regulatory arrangements, and provides feedback on how regulations might impact a proposition. It also offers a regulatory sandbox service which can help innovators with ideas that don’t neatly fit with regulations.

Data sharing

This competition is jointly operated by Innovate UK, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) (each an “agency”).

Your submitted application and any other information you provide at the application stage can be submitted to each agency on an individual basis for its storage, processing and use. Any relevant information produced during the application process concerning your application can be shared by one agency with the other, for its individual storage, processing and use.

This means that any information given to or generated by Innovate UK in respect of your application may be passed on to BEIS and vice versa.

Innovate UK is directly accountable to you for its holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. It is held in accordance with its Information Management Policy.

Innovate UK and BEIS are directly accountable to you for their holding and processing of your information, including any personal data and confidential information. Data is held in accordance with their own policies. Accordingly, Innovate UK, and BEIS will be data controllers for personal data submitted during the application.

Innovate UK complies with the requirements of GDPR, and is committed to upholding the data protection principles, and protecting your information. The Information Commissioner’s Office also has a useful guide for organisations, which outlines the data protection principles.

Find a project partner

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Innovate UK KTN.

Support for SMEs from Innovate UK EDGE

If you receive an award, you will be contacted about working with an innovation and growth specialist at Innovate UK EDGE. This service forms part of our funded offer to you.

These specialists focus on growing innovative businesses and ensuring that projects contribute to their growth. Working one-to-one, they can help you to identify your best strategy and harness world-class resources to grow and achieve scale.

We encourage you to engage with EDGE, delivered by a knowledgeable and objective specialist near you.

Contact us

If you need more information about how to apply or you want to submit your application in Welsh, email support@iuk.ukri.org or call 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).

Innovate UK is committed to making support for applicants accessible to everyone.

We can provide help for applicants who face barriers when making an application. This might be as a result of a disability, neurodiversity or anything else that makes it difficult to use our services. We can also give help and make other reasonable adjustments for you if your application is successful.

If you think you need more support, it is important that you contact our Customer Support Service as early as possible during your application process. You should aim to contact us no later than 10 working days before the competition closing date.

Need help with this service? Contact us