MALVERN EV SMART CHARGING TECH COMPANY SAYS HUGE MONTHLY ENERGY SAVINGS ARE POSSIBLE

Malvern-based EV and smart energy technology business Indra has revealed early results from the first users of its pioneering V2H (Vehicle-to-Home) charging technology.

And some participants are reporting huge savings of around £200 on their monthly energy bills.

This has been made possible by Indra’s bidirectional V2H Charger, which accesses surplus energy stored in an EV battery. This technology can be used to lower energy bills and help reduce demand on the grid at peak times. EV owners are able to charge their car with off-peak energy, which is often not only cheaper but also derived from higher volumes of renewable energy sources, and then discharge energy back from their vehicle during peak times to power their homes.

Further benefits can also be accessed thanks to the solar matching capability of Indra’s sophisticated V2H charger. Rather than exporting this electricity to the grid when solar panel generation is at its highest but demand low, the Indra charger diverts the energy into the EV’s battery, where it can be stored for use later.

One of the first to sign up, Carl Nicholson, has already seen significant reduction in his grid energy use since he started using his Indra Vehicle-to-Home Charger in May. With two Nissan LEAFs on his drive and three solar arrays that deliver between four and five megawatt hours a year, Carl could make use of the unique qualities of the Indra charger.

“The savings I’m making are massive,” Carl said. “My first full month's electric bill since setting up the V2H is going to be about £30. Before that I was paying between £130 and £200 a month, depending on the time of year.”

Earlier this year Indra announced plans to run the world’s largest V2H trial to build on the pre-trial users and gain a wider range of use cases from across the UK.

Mike Schooling, Indra Founder and CTO, said: “These initial customer results show that Indra’s pioneering Vehicle-toHome charger can significantly reduce a customer’s domestic energy bills as well as maximise renewable energy choices.”

Worcester manufacturer secures £250K funding

A Worcestershire advanced manufacturing firm has secured £250,000 to create new jobs, diversify its product line and grow its customer base.

Handling Concepts received funding from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) provided by The FSE Group Debt Finance Fund and backed by the Recovery Loan Scheme.

Established in 1994, Handling Concepts provides specialist engineered solutions for materials and industrial process handling. Solutions range from standard production line products to custom designed installations that enable manufacturers to manage their production process safely and efficiently.

The business has seen progressive growth and works primarily with UK blue-chip manufacturing businesses in different sectors.

Karie Burbeck, Chief Operating Officer of Handling Concepts, said: “The MEIF loan comes at a crucial point, enabling us to meet high customer demand as we recover from the effects of the pandemic. This is an opportunity for significant growth and the funds will allow us to invest in jobs and better service our customers.”

BetaDen named Best Tech Accelerator in national awards

Worcestershire’s first tech accelerator, BetaDen, has been named the UK’s Best Tech Accelerator at the Business Tech Awards.

The Malvern Hills Science Park team has supported six cohorts of technology entrepreneurs since 2018. The award judges described BetaDen as “a clearly impressive project”.

Kate Snell, programme manager at BetaDen, said: “This is national recognition of the work going on in Worcestershire to support the next generation of technology entrepreneurs. To date, BetaDen has supported 42 early-stage businesses to develop technologies, from cyber security and blockchaindriven innovations to autonomous vehicles and industrial internet of things software.”