UK Power Networks Shift Trials - Expression of Interest

22/03/2019

UK Power Networks is taking innovative steps to create the country’s first smart charging market for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. Following on from our SmartCAR project, we are now launching trials that will test and develop different approaches to EV smart charging as part of an innovation project called “Shift” focussed on domestic smart charging.

In this project we will seek to stimulate the market-led development of smart charging solutions – working with market participants to develop, enable and trial customer propositions for electric vehicles; develop processes, proof-of-concept systems and commercial arrangements to enable these propositions; and ultimately seek to understand customer response to these propositions and the associated network impacts in a controlled environment.

With this request for “expressions of interest” we are seeking innovative market participants who can work with us to develop and test customer propositions. To put forward your participation in these trials you will need to either:

  • Be an energy service provider for domestic EV consumers (e.g. energy supplier, aggregator, charge point operator, OEM) – either with existing EV customers enabled with smart chargers, or have the ability to recruit or convert existing customers to smart chargers; or
  • Be an associated organisation with a proposal to deliver key parts of the smart charging value chain as part of a broader consortium.

In this document we set out:

  • An overview of the scope of the Shift trials and key use cases we will be testing
  • Our requirements from trials participants in terms of capabilities, customers and delivery timescales, and
  • A short template to complete to express interest in participating in the Shift trials.

Following receipt of responses we will assess which best fit the project requirements and select a number of participants to take part in delivery of the trials. We are not running this as a formal procurement process, but more an opportunity to understand what participants may have to offer in order to best meet the trials objectives.  

As a Network Innovation Allowance funded project we will not be funding participants for their participation in the trials, and are seeking participants who are prepared to invest time and effort in return for the opportunity to take a market-leading role in the development of capabilities to support the future market.