Moixa and Honda launch first stage of electric vehicle charging partnership at Islington Town Hall

Moixa, the developer of smart battery and electric vehicle (EV) charging software, and Honda yesterday unveiled a smart EV charging project with Islington Council to optimise its vehicle fleet at the Town Hall. The project will reduce harmful air pollution, save money for essential services and help Islington achieve its 2030 net-zero carbon emissions target.

Moixa and Honda will support Islington Council to achieve its ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) emissions standard across its fleet of 500+ vehicles. The council’s goal is to electrify its entire fleet, cutting 1,400 tonnes of dangerous carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from local air pollution every year.[1]

Last year, London surpassed the annual legal limit of air-pollution within one month. Toxic air has been at illegal levels in the capital and most urban areas in the UK since 2010 and results in around 40,000 early deaths a year.[2]

“We’re working to ensure our residents have clean air to breathe, while also saving money that can be spent on delivering essential services for the people of Islington,” said Councillor Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport. “We’re working with industry leaders – Honda and Moixa – to electrify our fleet in the most effective way for our residents and acting as a pioneer for others to follow.”

Islington Council has declared a climate emergency and committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The borough is on target to reduce emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2020 (from 2005 levels).  

By facilitating the transition towards EVs, this project will cut carbon emissions and harmful pollution from Islington’s roads.

Chris Wright, Moixa’s Chief Technology Officer, said: “The EV revolution will put millions of ‘batteries on wheels’ on our roads in the next decade. By using AI-driven charging technology, we can intelligently manage these fleets of batteries, securing lowest-cost charging and highest-impact carbon savings. Our project with Honda and Islington shows what is possible and provides a blueprint for all large organisations to follow.”

Five bi-directional vehicle to grid (V2G) chargers, manufactured by EVTEC and Honda, will be installed with Moixa’s GridShare software outside Islington Town Hall. The system charges the EV batteries when power on the local network is cheapest and cleanest and discharges power from the car batteries when it is most expensive and carbon intensive. When EVs are plugged in to all of the chargers, the smart technology can provide enough power to cover the whole town hall base load.

Jorgen Pluym, Project Leader of Energy Management Honda Motor Europe, said: “As the shift towards electrification accelerates, we must continue to innovate with projects like these – helping to drive awareness and uptake of charging solutions and advanced vehicle-to-grid technologies. Honda is committed to promoting sustainable future energy management in Europe, and this project in Islington represents an important part of our vision for future energy solutions.”

Alastair Martin, Chief Strategy Officer and founder at Flexitricity, said: “We’re delighted to be able to utilise our expertise in aggregating and dispatching flexibility to help Moixa and Honda realise this innovative project. There is huge value in flexibility and Flexitricity’s job is to make sure all types of energy users have access to it – from large commercial and industrial energy users down to every EV customer.

“It’s very exciting to see how partnerships like this one are moving us closer to our vision of a greener and fairer energy system. The initial tests went very smoothly and the operators in our 24/7 control room in Edinburgh are poised and ready to dispatch the flexibility from the EV fleet to help National Grid balance the system, driving revenue and savings for Islington Council in the process.”