A new open‑access article led by researchers from MOBILITIES FOR EU partners the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks at TU Dresden and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid has been published in Energies.

Titled “Non‑Technical Barriers and Transition Pathways for Vehicle‑to‑Grid: A Systematic Review of 974 Studies and a Socio‑Technical Framework”, the paper provides one of the most comprehensive overviews to date of why Vehicle‑to‑Grid (V2G) deployment continues to lag behind its technical potential.

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What the study did

The authors conducted a PRISMA‑guided systematic review of 974 V2G and broader V2X studies published between 2009 and 2025. From these, they identified 162 implementation‑critical articles—studies that move beyond simulation and engage with pilots, field trials, real‑world markets, or realistic system models.

Of these, 95 focus primarily on non‑technical dimensions such as policy, market design, user behaviour, and ecosystem coordination. Based on this subset, the authors develop a four‑domain socio‑technical framework covering:

• Business and economic factors
• Governance and policy
• Social aspects
• Infrastructure and ecosystem conditions

This framework helps explain why many V2G initiatives remain at pilot stage and highlights the key levers for large‑scale deployment.

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Key findings

The analysis identifies three overarching patterns:

• Shift in research focus: Since 2021, the field has moved beyond technical optimisation towards multidisciplinary work addressing regulation, business models, and user acceptance.
• Regional differences: Europe emphasises regulation and market design, Asia focuses on infrastructure scaling and urban integration, while the Americas prioritise grid services, resilience, and fleet applications.
• Persistent cross‑cutting barriers: Revenue uncertainty, regulatory gaps, user resistance, and grid readiness remain consistent challenges across contexts.

For each domain, the paper proposes concrete transition levers and indicative KPIs, including:

• multi‑actor revenue‑sharing models
• formal recognition of aggregators in market rules
• privacy‑by‑design participation models for EV users
• targeted deployment of bidirectional charging in grid‑constrained areas

The study also outlines three archetypal transition pathways for scaling V2G:

• regulation‑led
• infrastructure‑first
• service‑driven

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Why this matters for MOBILITIES for EU

The findings provide a useful evidence base for MOBILITIES for EU to:

• position local V2G pilots within broader transition pathways
• define KPIs that capture business, governance, social, and infrastructure progress—not just technical performance
• align communication strategies and ICT architectures (including 5G‑enabled solutions) with non‑technical constraints

The socio‑technical framework directly supports ongoing work in Dresden’s Ostra district, where partners are deploying a private 5G‑enabled bidirectional charging system. Combining systematic evidence with real‑world pilots strengthens the project’s ability to design scalable, user‑centred V2G solutions.

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Access the publication

The article is available open access here

You can also explore all MOBILITIES for EU scientific publications via our Zenodo community, where project results are shared as free and open access resources.