I don't think this whole EVs-as-grid-storage really makes sense. When the EVs go into the scrap market, the batteries will likely still have 80% of their range left (if not more, based on what folks have been reporting). If it's as low as 80%, it would be a huge detriment in the used market, but that much is still fine and dandy for grid storage. Just wait 10-15 years and use them then, if this is supposed to be a strategy.
Or better yet, keep investing in other non-lithium chemistries, like those involving sodium, and then cost per kwh will go down significantly.
Having chargers at the office is a thing. You could imagine grid operators subsidizing setting up EV chargers at office parking lots on the condition that they're V2G capable.
I wouldn't mind letting my EV charge at home at night and discharge down to, say 50%, at work.
Also, there's generally a big peak just as people come home from work. I could charge at night, discharge the first couple of hourse right after I come home, and then charge again.
I don't always drive to work either, I hope to take the bus or train more when kids are done with kindergarten (they can walk to school on their own). But this is Europe, I get that this is less realistic in USA.
You have some good points, but I think the next 10-20 years will be so critical for the switch to renewables that we can't afford to wait. If we can get some help from V2G until more permanent solutions are in place, why not?
Also, some of us work from home, or commute by public transit, or whatever, and only use the car on weekends.
The "gas station" model of battery swapping has a number of features: lower sticker price on cars, key for mass-market adoption; expert battery pack charge and diagnosis, maintenance and repair; extension of pack lifetimes by offering cheaper rates to drivers who only want to go short distances and therefore can use old battery packs with only 65% of original capacity; easier power planning and control for distribution grid operators with smoothed electricty consumption and abillity to return energy to the grid in peak demand/low supply hours; easy revenue collection for local governments.
The simple fact is that these static larger installations should be better, but they're not happening at nearly high enough rate, and so there is still benefit to be had by individuals installing smaller less efficient systems.
If anything is very much anti-fragile. Decentralized batteries would only make the grid more resilient both to outages and overloads.
a stationary distributed system seems superior in many ways to the mobile version (more capacity, more predictable in both charging and discharging schedules, potentially less costly battery technologies etc). if such a system happens anyway, I'd see the issue of linking the EV fleet as secondary
Maybe the utility companies could do their job and provide a reliable electricity source, instead of outsourcing it to customers.
This is quite a naive view of how the world works.
Their actual “job” is to make the most amount of money possible.
A realistic option has to be one that is both technically superior and something a company is incentivised to do.
That is generally true, but not of quasi-public utility companies. The government controls the price utilities charge, and could force them to invest in storage.