Latest news with #KeesKoolen
The Star
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Renault is seen inside a Renault car dealer in Arnhem, Netherlands February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/ File Photo LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) -Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. 'It feels like we're at a tipping point,' said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38% annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya modelsto France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged intoWe Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. 'Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles,' said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added. (Reporting by Anna Hirtenstein and Gilles Guillaume; Editing by Dominique Patton and Christian Schmollinger)
Time of India
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology , known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. "It feels like we're at a tipping point," said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38% annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya models to France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged into We Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. "Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles," said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added.
CNA
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
LONDON/PARIS :Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. 'It feels like we're at a tipping point,' said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38 per cent annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya models to France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged into We Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. 'Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles,' said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
LONDON/PARIS, June 4 (Reuters) - Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. 'It feels like we're at a tipping point,' said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38% annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya models to France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged into We Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. 'Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles,' said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stokes-backed travel platform Unravel takes off with £5m funding
An online travel content platform backed by a fund which counts the England Test cricket captain Ben Stokes among its investors will this week unveil a $7m (£5.4m) funding injection. Sky News understands that Unravel, which combines TikTok-style video content with an artificial intelligence-powered booking assistant to enhance users' experience, will announce the Series A round on Thursday. Led by Nauta, a European business-to-business software investor, it includes participation from Slingshot Ventures, which is partly financed by Kees Koolen, the former chairman and CEO of Unravel partners with travel influencers to identify distinctive overseas experiences, and says it facilitates transactions within banking apps, airline loyalty programmes and digital marketplaces. "The way people discover travel has changed," Vijay Anand, CEO and co-founder of Unravel, said. "They don't sift through endless search results--they get inspired by creators who are exploring the world and sharing their experiences. "Unravel bridges that gap, turning creator-shot videos into seamless, AI-powered booking experiences." Other investors in the round include Antler, Brook Bay Capital and The Players Fund, whose other backers include the Indian cricketer KL Rahul and Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, the British Olympic heptathlon champion. OIivier Bisserier, another senior former executive, is also investing in Unravel, according to the company. "The rise of TikTok has had a massive influence on the way people experience content on mobile," said Carles Ferrer, a general partner at Nauta. "That change has happened in parallel with banks, insurers and telcos adding travel to their list of perks or products offered to customers. "Unravel has combined both of these market changes, with the addition of an AI booking assistant, to produce an incredibly popular white-label solution for customers looking to add new revenue streams." The company said the new capital would be used to enhance its AI capabilities to optimize video-commerce conversions and expand its London-based workforce. Nauta's investment portfolio has included companies such as Brandwatch, Techspert and AppFollow.
