E-cars as electricity storage: revolution for the energy transition?

E-cars as electricity storage: revolution for the energy transition?

The debate about the energy transition in Germany is being further fueled by the economics minister's current stance against the transition to renewable energy and unexpected support for natural gas power plants. In this context, E.ON has presented a remarkable initiative to save natural gas power plants, based on the idea of ​​bidirectional charging of electric cars, also known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G). Loud Econews A significant contribution to saving fossil fuels can be made by using electric car batteries that are connected to the power grid.

Bidirectional charging, also known as “bidi” for short, allows electric vehicles to draw energy from the power grid and feed excess energy back. This could not only reduce CO2 emissions, but also generate up to 600 euros in additional revenue annually for electric car owners by selling their saved CO2 emissions to companies that do not meet their climate targets, reports eMobil magazine.

Challenges and potential of bidirectional charging

Despite the promising approaches, the implementation of V2G faces some challenges. In order to exploit its full potential, electricity from e-cars must be exempt from grid fees. In addition, only a few electric cars are currently technically capable of supporting bidirectional charging. Furthermore, wallboxes and electricity meters must be upgraded accordingly in order to provide the necessary data for billing. Loud ADAC However, the ramp-up of V2G technology could be realized quickly and hardly any stranded costs are to be expected.

Another point concerns the legal and tax framework, which is currently not optimal for bidirectional charging. The legislature must work on existing regulations in order to give electric cars the same tax treatment as stationary battery storage systems. Taxes are currently levied both when purchasing electricity and when feeding it back into the grid, which could affect the economic viability of V2G. The ADAC also notes that electric cars are safe places during thunderstorms because they act as Faraday cages, which addresses another aspect of safety when charging.

Market development and user acceptance

The market shares of electrified drives are on a remarkable course. In 2024, market share in Europe was 20.8%, while sales of pure electric vehicles increased by around a third. With increasing interest in electric mobility, surveys show that around 60% of electric car drivers are open to the concept of bi-directional charging. The preferences for tariff models are different: 37% prefer a fixed price with a night charging bonus, while 19% favor a dynamic price model.

Another interesting development is the increased demand for intelligent energy management systems for households, especially among owners of solar systems who also drive an electric car. About 56% of these users would like to implement a system that helps them better manage their energy consumption. Many consumers see the combination of energy generation through solar power and the ability of electric cars to act as energy storage as an opportunity to increase their independence from traditional energy suppliers. The ADAC points out that the prices for stationary electricity storage systems are currently between 400 and 800 euros per kWh, which makes setting up such a system financially attractive.

Overall, it shows that bidirectional charging and the associated technologies can play an important role in the future energy transition. It remains to be seen how quickly both technical and legal challenges can be overcome to realize the full potential of these innovative solutions.