Bidirectional charging allows electric vehicles not only to draw electricity but also to feed it back into the public grid (vehicle-to-grid), buildings (vehicle-to-building), homes (vehicle-to-home) or external devices (vehicle-to-load). This turns EVs into flexible storage units capable of absorbing surplus solar or wind power and releasing it at times of peak demand.
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The economic potential is considerable. According to Transport & Environment, V2G technologies could save more than €100 billion in European system costs between 2030 and 2040. In Germany alone, annual savings of up to €8.4 billion are possible, driven by reduced grid expansion needs, more efficient use of renewable energy and lower overall system costs. According to Agora Verkehrswende, private users could earn up to €500 a year by participating in the electricity market.
Regulatory improvements
The decisive breakthrough came in late 2025 with the reform of the Energy Industry Act (Energiewirtschaftsgesetz, EnWG). Bidirectional-capable EVs no longer have to pay grid fees on the electricity they feed back, removing the previous double charge. Since April 2026, the MiSpeL process rules have further simplified technical and regulatory implementation, and a second meter is no longer required.
V2G is therefore economically viable for the first time and technically far easier to deploy. At European level, the AFIR Regulation is adding further momentum. Since January 2026, all new public charging points must support the ISO 15118-2 standard, with the requirement extended to ISO 15118-20 for all new installations from January 2027. This standard enables full grid integration with bidirectional energy flow and cross-manufacturer interoperability, marking the step from smart charging to genuine grid integration.
Utrecht leads in V2G car-sharing with solar integration
Utrecht offers proof that bidirectional charging works in everyday urban life. Since summer 2025, the Dutch city has operated Europe's first comprehensive V2G car-sharing system, a joint initiative by Renault Group, We Drive Solar, MyWheels and the city of Utrecht. The vehicles feed electricity back into the grid when needed, and the charging infrastructure is connected to local solar generation.
The results after five months are striking. Grid congestion in the evening hours was reduced by up to 300 kW, and more than 65,000 kWh were returned to the grid. Eindhoven became the second city to join the initiative in December 2025. In the longer term, 500 vehicles in Utrecht alone are expected to provide up to ten percent of the city's required grid flexibility, equivalent to the peak demand of around 1,000 households.
Commercial offerings gain momentum
The first V2G products for end customers are now on the market. Since February 2026, BMW and E.ON have offered a complete package comprising a wallbox, a V2G tariff and a smart meter, with a bonus of up to €720 a year. Elli, a Volkswagen subsidiary, is working with solar provider Otovo to test a system that uses EVs as home storage and is designed to cut charging costs by up to 75 percent. The long-term goal is to aggregate hundreds of thousands of vehicle batteries into a virtual power plant. Ford plans to launch a V2G tariff with Octopus Energy for its Explorer and Capri models from summer 2026.
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A common concern is battery degradation. However, a study by RWTH Aachen University and The Mobility House shows that additional ageing caused by V2G use amounts to just 1.7 to 5.8 percentage points after ten years. The required investment of €100 to €300 is offset by annual revenues of more than €600. On cybersecurity, the ISO 15118 and OCPP 2.0.1 standards ensure that only authenticated vehicles communicate with the grid and that the integrity of the electricity system is protected.
V2G is now considered ready for the market. The decisive factors for wider uptake will be market integration alongside the aggregation and trading of flexibility resources from mobile and stationary storage. The technology is also becoming increasingly important for corporate fleets, with every second newly registered vehicle in Germany already a fleet vehicle. If current momentum continues, bidirectional charging will reshape grid stability and the economics of electromobility for the long term. (hcn)
