The second annual meeting of the V2G-QUESTS Driving Urban Transitions Partnership project brought partners to Tartu, Estonia, for in-person discussions, presentations, a study tour, and a social programme. Being 21 months into the 36-month project, partners have already reached several interesting results and insights to share and discuss together.

The first day was packed with presentations on the achievements across work packages and the state-of-the-art of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) initiatives, smart charging, and electric mobility in Estonia and Tartu. We were most happy to host our associated partners and invited guests from Tartu City Government, Eesti Energia, and Elektrilevi. The day ended with an engaging panel discussion on the societal, environmental, and technological importance of vehicle-to-grid technology, and further research and collaboration needs between sectors.

The second day gave the opportunity to delve into the overarching goals and synthesis methodology across the work packages. The strength of the project lies in the strongly interlinked work of different teams to reach a common understanding of the true potential of the technology in our case study areas. While land use, mobility infrastructure, and population composition have many differences between the case study areas in Portugal, the Netherlands, and Estonia, we share strategic goals and many similarities in mobility behaviour and technology readiness.

We ended the day with a bike tour to Annelinn, our case study district, to explore the opportunities and challenges for incorporating V2G technology into the urban infrastructure and the daily practices of residents. Annelinn is the largest residential area in Tartu with 40-50-year-old multi-story buildings and a socially diverse population. Electric mobility is strongly underused in this district, with strong investments needed in creating smart charging infrastructure. Shared V2G-capable EV fleet could help reduce car ownership and traffic/parking congestion in the area, together with other sustainable mobility solutions.

Some key takeaways.

• Bidirectional charging allows electric vehicles to send power back to the grid, which can aid against grid congestion during peak hours, distribute energy storage, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, provide frequency regulation, and allow electric vehicle owners to optimise their charging and discharging times according to electricity prices with revenue.
• Grid congestion as a main motivator for V2G technology varies across Europe, with a stronger importance in the Netherlands and a more moderate pressure in Estonia.
• While the technology is ready to use, its implementation in society with thousands of vehicles as distributed assets is exponentially more complicated and requires intermediary structures between vehicle owners and grid operators. Currently, energy storage in battery parks provides more straightforward solutions.
• In Estonia, electric vehicles form 1.1% of the total vehicle fleet (August 2025), with most of them located in the Tallinn urban region. According to the calculations by Kaarel Kuresoo, Elektrilevi, including the assumptions on the V2G-capable share of EVs, this would mean that the maximum capacity of providing power back to the grid in Estonia is theoretically 27.5 MW. This is not yet comparable with battery park solutions.
• From the perspective of sustainable urban mobility, V2G-capable vehicles provide an alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles, and in combination with shared mobility initiatives, they can reduce climate impacts from mobility and the demand for privately owned vehicles. However, this is just part of the equation: public transit, active travel infrastructure, micromobility solutions, etc., have a crucial role in ensuring sustainability in urban mobility.
• Similarly, V2G charging infrastructure in combination with locally produced solar energy can support the transition to Positive Energy Districts, i.e., areas that produce more electricity, using renewable sources, than they consume. While apartment buildings are often suitable for rooftop solar parks, developing V2G-capable charging infrastructure in those neighbourhoods remains a complex issue.
• Municipal policies are needed to facilitate shared mobility and the development of charging infrastructure in multi-story building neighbourhoods. Detached housing areas have so far proven to be more prone to private EV charging infrastructure development.
• From public perception, EVs are often seen as a high-end technology accessible to those who are better off. V2G technology has even higher entry barriers, while it can generate considerable revenue for the owners. This raises inequalities in access to new technology and the benefits it can provide.
• From an energy justice perspective, V2G technology has the potential to reduce energy poverty. While justice concept includes availability, accessibility, and affordability aspects, the current regulation is focused on income-based approaches and access to essential energy services only.

While V2G technology will become more widespread in the future, other aspects, such as land ownership, standardisation, and user behaviour, also remain open questions in the pathway to V2G implementation. We continue our research within the V2G-QUESTS DUT partnership project, keep an eye on other developments in the field, and plan further action.