Four retrofitted Tata Nexon EVs, 11 kW bidirectional power modules, utility demonstrations in Delhi and Kerala, and explicit recognition in the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026: India’s vehicle-to-grid story now has tangible foundations. The next test is whether these developments can produce an approved, measurable and commercially viable service.
- Four Nexon EVs Provide a Concrete Starting Point
- Tata Power-DDL’s Involvement Predates the 2026 Announcement
- Kerala Adds a Separate Utility-Led Development Track
- Policy Is Creating Conditions for Flexibility
- Standards Cooperation Has Become More Specific
- The Next Numbers Must Explain Commercial Performance
- What This Means
India’s vehicle-to-grid discussion is moving from technical possibility towards electricity-sector planning.
The clearest policy signal comes from the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026. In a parliamentary response published on 10 August 2026, the Ministry of Power said the draft proposes Distribution System Operators, or DSOs, to facilitate the integration of distributed renewable energy, energy storage and V2G technologies. This remains a draft-policy proposal, rather than an operational payment mechanism for EV owners.
Meanwhile, field projects have brought utilities, vehicle manufacturers, researchers and specialised equipment suppliers into the same ecosystem.
The important question is becoming more specific: what must happen for an Indian utility to procure flexibility from parked EVs—and for the vehicle owner to benefit?
Four Nexon EVs Provide a Concrete Starting Point
The India Smart Grid Forum’s V2G demonstration used four Tata Nexon EVs retrofitted with 11 kW bidirectional power modules.
ISGF’s technical report records their commissioning in December 2024. Its subsequent announcement, dated 19 May 2026, described the demonstration across three Delhi utilities and Kerala’s ANERT. The announcement date therefore should not be mistaken for the project’s commissioning date.
The project brings identifiable companies and institutions into India’s V2G development:
| Organisation | Documented role |
|---|---|
| India Smart Grid Forum | Project coordination and demonstration |
| BSES Rajdhani Power Limited | Delhi utility partner and demonstration host |
| BSES Yamuna Power Limited | Delhi utility partner and demonstration host |
| Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited | Delhi utility partner and demonstration host |
| ANERT, Kerala | Kerala demonstration partner |
| Nuvve Holding Corp, USA | Bidirectional AC chargers and control platform |
| Watt & Well, France | Bidirectional power modules |
| University of Delaware, USA | Technical support |
ISGF identifies 11 kW Watt & Well modules and Nuvve AC charging equipment rated approximately 19–52 kW. Charger ratings should not be interpreted as the export capability of each vehicle: the onboard module is a separate constraint.
Four 11 kW modules represent 44 kW of combined nominal module capacity, calculated from the disclosed specifications. That figure is not a measured guarantee of simultaneous grid export.
The distinction matters because India needs evidence of delivered performance alongside equipment specifications.
Tata Power-DDL’s Involvement Predates the 2026 Announcement
Tata Power-DDL signed its V2G demonstration MoU with ISGF on 15 May 2024, announcing it on 21 May.
The utility identified frequency and voltage support, backup-power applications and the effects of bidirectional charging among the project’s intended areas of investigation. Its FY2024–25 annual report subsequently continued to describe V2G as a pilot initiative it was exploring. |
This is important evidence of utility participation. It should also be counted correctly: Tata Power-DDL’s MoU and its participation in ISGF’s four-vehicle demonstration belong to the same documented project relationship, rather than automatically representing two separate deployments.
For industry readers, the progression is meaningful: a utility agreement, retrofitted hardware and field evaluation. The reviewed disclosures do not establish a mass-market programme paying private EV owners for routine exports.
Kerala Adds a Separate Utility-Led Development Track
IIT Bombay and KSEB signed an MoU on 11 July 2025 for a V2G field pilot in Kerala. IIT Bombay described it as India’s largest V2G field pilot at the announcement stage.
The institute’s description connects the initiative to solar integration, decentralised storage and reducing peak-time demand. However, the institutional material reviewed does not provide a verified commissioned vehicle count, aggregate export capacity or realised participant earnings.
That limits what can responsibly be claimed about its commercial scale.
IIT Bombay also documents earlier two-field-demonstration research covering V2G, vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-vehicle applications. Its field-trial page describes a one-year pilot in which an EV supplied household loads from evening to morning on weekdays and over two days during weekends. This supports the practical study of bidirectional energy use; household supply alone does not establish a compensated utility V2G service.
Policy Is Creating Conditions for Flexibility
Alongside the draft DSO proposal, India already has charging-policy provisions that make the timing of electricity consumption economically relevant.
The Ministry of Power’s 17 September 2024 charging-infrastructure guidelines, summarised in its annual report, specify electricity supply to public charging stations at:
- 0.7 times the Average Cost of Supply during solar hours, 9 AM–4 PM.
- 1.3 times the Average Cost of Supply during non-solar hours.
The framework also requires separate metering arrangements for charging stations.
These provisions support the case for shifting charging towards solar hours. They are charging-supply provisions, not a tariff promising payment for electricity exported from an EV.
That is the next regulatory bridge: defining connection approval, export measurement, settlement and the responsibilities of vehicle owners, charging operators, aggregators and distribution utilities.
Our assessment is that recognising V2G in national planning is a useful advance, but dependable commercial participation requires those operating arrangements.
Standards Cooperation Has Become More Specific
V2G also entered the agenda of the second India–EU workshop on EV charging technologies, held at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, on 15–17 March 2026.
The official account identifies bidirectional charging, V2G integration, multi-brand interoperability and the ISO 15118-21 conformance test plan among the subjects discussed.
Participants included ARAI, BIS, Tata Motors, ABB, Delta, BRUSA and the Open Charge Alliance, alongside other research and industry organisations. Their participation indicates engagement in standards development and technical cooperation; it does not establish that each operates an Indian commercial V2G project.
For deployment, compatibility must extend across the vehicle, charger and control system. Owners also need explicit manufacturer support for the intended charging and discharging operation.
The Next Numbers Must Explain Commercial Performance
India now has disclosed vehicle counts, equipment ratings and dated project milestones. The next reporting stage should reveal whether V2G delivers enough value to sustain participation.
For utilities and investors, the useful numbers are energy exported, response reliability, connected availability, equipment cost, conversion losses, battery-health outcomes and net participant revenue.
A large EV battery population cannot be treated as firm storage capacity. Vehicles are mobile, drivers retain priority over their charge, and local networks may constrain export.
In the All India EV Intelligence desk’s assessment, managed fleets with predictable parking windows offer a practical setting for the next commercial tests. Their schedules can make availability easier to forecast, although the economics will still depend on duty cycles, connection costs and the service being purchased.
What This Means
India’s V2G foundations are identifiable: ISGF’s four retrofitted Nexon EVs; BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna, Tata Power-DDL and ANERT as demonstration partners; Nuvve and Watt & Well as technology suppliers; and IIT Bombay–KSEB’s separate Kerala initiative.
Policy and standards work are also advancing, including the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026’s DSO proposal and India–EU interoperability cooperation.
The commercial test is now clear.
Can a utility procure a dependable service, can an OEM support the operating conditions, and can an EV owner earn a worthwhile return after all costs?
Until projects publish those outcomes, the evidence supports a developing pilot ecosystem. The opportunity for India is to turn that ecosystem into a market with transparent rules and measurable value.
