A vision for the future: decentralised, sustainable cities
In a future where electric mobility is the dominant mode of transport and decentralized energy plays a central role, success will depend on close collaboration between transport providers, charging infrastructure, insurers, grid operators, and urban planners to keep cities running efficiently and sustainably.
This vision is already coming to life in Utrecht, the Netherlands — a forward-thinking city embracing sustainability. In collaboration with Renault Group (via Mobilize), MyWheels, We Drive Solar, and Last Mile Solutions, Europe’s first V2G car-sharing service has become a reality.
Urban energy & mobility challenge
Utrecht is leading the way in solar adoption – around 35% of rooftops are equipped with solar panels. However, this success comes with a challenge: during peak sunlight hours, the city’s electricity grid experiences overloads. These overloads occur when solar energy production exceeds local consumption, particularly between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM on sunny days. This surplus energy is fed back into the grid, but the existing infrastructure cannot efficiently store or redirect this excess power. Consequently, the grid faces strain, leading to potential instability and increased costs for consumers.
Collaborative innovation in Utrecht: the V2G Ecosystem
To address this challenge, Renault Group (via Mobilize), MyWheels, We Drive Solar, the Municipality of Utrecht, and Last Mile Solutions collaborated to launch Europe’s first large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) car-sharing service.
Last Mile Solutions’ smart charging and energy management platform, first introduced in a 2015 We Drive Solar project, is at the heart of the system. Digitally connecting and configuring the charge stations to the grid, authorizing charge sessions, managing energy flows, and processes all associated settlements and payment transactions.
Today, in Utrecht alone, the project includes 50 bidirectional cars and 250 bidirectional chargers. The platform has processed more than 120,000 charging transactions to date.
“Utrecht shows how cities can do things differently.” Affirms Robin Berg, CEO at We Drive Solar “Thanks to Last Mile Solutions, smart chargers, and shared electric vehicles, we prove that renewable energy can efficiently power both homes and cars.”
Early results and technical impact
The “Utrecht Energized” network is now operational. Shared EVs are acting as mobile energy buffers, charging during peak solar hours and feeding electricity back when demand is high.
With the planned 500-car fleet, the system could relieve around 5 MW of grid congestion. Fully balancing Utrecht’s peak demand of 250 MW would require scaling to millions of EVs. Still, the foundation has been laid for collaboration, showcasing the role of technology and providing key learnings that educate future smart city projects across Europe.
Making sustainable cities real: Lessons from Utrecht
Utrecht is showing that cities can do things differently. With shared EVs, smart chargers, and the coordination expertise of Last Mile Solutions, renewable energy isn’t just powering homes – it’s powering cars too.
The V2G pilot shows how mobility providers, grid operators, urban planners, and tech partners can work together to make decentralised, sustainable cities a reality. It’s just a first step, but an exciting one that points to what’s possible when everyone works as a team.
