On 20 November, the V2G Leaders Europe event hosted a dedicated session on the V2X Cluster, an initiative uniting eight European research and innovation projects (SCALE, FLOW, ePowerMove, EV4EU, AHEAD, Drive2X, XL-Connect, and NEVERFLAT) representing more than EUR 80 million of EU investment in bidirectional charging research and innovation. Together, these projects operate demonstration and validation sites in 20 European countries, covering dozens of smart-charging use cases across homes, buildings, and public spaces.
Titled “Real-World V2G Implementation Challenges and Workarounds,” the session introduced the Cluster’s mission, its collaborative activities in dissemination, technical cooperation, cross-regional partnerships, and ongoing discussions toward advancing high-priority V2X topics. Despite having no dedicated funding stream, the Cluster is a BOOSTER recipient for joint communication and dissemination, and maintains an active rhythm of collaboration, meeting roughly every two months and pursuing targeted work plans in its project-led Working Groups:
- Business Models – SCALE
- Consumer Perspective – FLOW
- Battery Degradation – Drive2X
- AC vs. DC Chargers – XL-Connect
- EU Policy & Regulations – ePowerMove
- AI Tools for V2X – AHEAD
The session put a spotlight on first-hand implementation insights from leading experts across the projects involved in the Cluster. Speakers include Gonçalo Mendes (Drive2X), Hugo Morais (EV4EU), Josh Eichman (FLOW), Baerte de Brey (SCALE), Lisa Calearo (AHEAD), and Alois Steiner (XL-Connect). Together they unpacked the practical barriers encountered during pilot deployments, ranging from OEM compatibility, interoperability, and standardization to use-case replicability, data quality and privacy, communications and cyber-security, business-case formation, scalability, and the broader regulatory and market contexts. These testimonials are complemented by concrete workarounds, success stories, and reflections on how today’s lessons fit into the broader evolution of V2X technologies.
This session was an opportunity for policymakers, industry stakeholders, system operators, and research organisations to gain a consolidated, real-world view of V2X deployment across Europe—and to contribute to defining the next steps for a resilient, scalable, user-centric V2X ecosystem.
For additional information or to connect with the Cluster, please contact: v2xcluster@lists.lut.fi.