VW: First ID models charge bidirectionally

The automobile manufacturer Volkswagen has announced the start of bidirectional charging for the first models of the ID. family. With the "Vehicle to Home" function, the system works in conjunction with a home power plant and the integrated Home Energy Management System (HEMS) of VW partner HagerEnergy GmbH. This would allow customers to cover their electricity needs as much as possible with their photovoltaic system, the Wolfsburg-based company advertises. Both companies have now started a pilot project in Sweden, in which an entire settlement is being equipped with vehicles and the corresponding charging infrastructure.

"With the newly available bidirectional charging function, we have tailored a new service offering to the needs of our customers. This not only allows them to save on energy costs but also makes an important contribution to the sustainable use of energy," advertises Imelda Labbé, Volkswagen Board Member for Sales, Marketing, and After Sales.

Electric cars as rolling energy storage

ID. models with the 77 kWh battery (net) can, in the future, serve as an additional power storage for the house with the bidirectional charging function. VW will also be able to activate the function for vehicles already delivered, once they have also received the ID. software 3.5 update. Due to the high storage capacity of the cars, a house can be supplied with solar power even over several cloudy days, the provider further outlines. The same applies in the evening when the sun has set and the photovoltaic system no longer supplies electricity. Customers can decide for themselves when to draw energy from the public grid and when to tap into the self-produced power stored in the vehicle battery.

Intelligent Charging Stabilizes the Power Grid

Furthermore, with clever electricity tariffs and algorithms, it is already possible today to charge the car exactly when there is a lot of renewable energy available. For example, wind turbines don't have to be regulated down because the generated electricity cannot be consumed. The electric cars, in turn, can feed power into the customer’s home network (Vehicle-to-Home) and in the future also contribute to stabilizing the power grid. Swedish Settlement Stenberg is Already Benefiting The site of a pilot project for bidirectional charging is the Stenberg settlement in Hudiksvall, Sweden. The farm, which was converted as a basis for the new settlement, has been standing for around 350 years. Swedish entrepreneur Klas Boman aims to make the houses future-proof and sustainable for another 350 years with the conversion.

"Stenberg is a project that only happens once in a lifetime. When we decided to realize the 'next 350-year project,' energy and the environment were key. Every decision was made with these aspects in mind. The use of electric vehicles as energy storage was considered from the beginning. Volkswagen fortunately joined the project in April 2021, and now we are ready to start. This will be one of the biggest changes in the energy market," explains Boman.