China's National Development and Reform Commission, the third-ranked executive department of the State Council of the county which functions as a macroeconomic management agency, has published new rules on strengthening the integration of new electric vehicles (EVs) with its energy grid.

The country, which has emerged as the world’s biggest market for EVs, is looking to manage its power demand as it transitions to renewable energy, with the creation of initial technical standards to govern new EV integration into the grid by 2025.

The NDRC said that EVs will become an important part of China’s energy storage system by 2030, with governments across the world increasingly looking for ways to prevent power networks from being overwhelmed.

The new rules point to solutions including charging during off-peak hours along with ‘vehicle-to-grid’ charging where EV owners could effectively sell their vehicle’s energy back to grid operators during peak hours.

The body said that it will set up over 50 pilot programmes in regions where conditions for vehicle-grid integration are mature, such as in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Beijing, Sichuan and Chongqing.

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