Electric cars are more expensive to purchase than combustion engines. But you can also earn money with an electric car – for example through the GHG quota. Another source of income is likely to open up soon. The key word is: bidirectional charging. But what is that actually?
Since January 1, 2022, private individuals have been able to earn money with their electric cars. The background is the so-called greenhouse gas reduction quota (GHG quota). Vehicle owners of a purely battery-operated electric car with registration can sell them to companies in the form of saved CO2 emissions. However, another source of income is likely to open up soon.
What is bidirectional charging?
The term bidirectional charging means charging in two directions. Specifically, this means: the ability of an electric vehicle to both draw energy from the grid and feed it back into the grid or into another system.
This allows an electric car, for example, to not only serve as a means of transport, but also as a mobile energy source or battery. Bidirectional charging allows unused or excess energy from the battery of an electric vehicle to be fed into the home or general power grid in order to use it more effectively.
Types of bidirectional charging
- Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) / Vehicle-to-Device (V2D): With this variant of bidirectional charging, there is a classic socket in or on the vehicle that can be used to use various devices such as smartphones, laptops or other electrical devices. For example, you can charge your cell phone in the car or operate power tools via an outside socket.
- Vehicle to Home (V2H): Using V2H, you can feed unused or excess energy from an electric car battery into your home power grid so that you can use it for your household appliances, for example. To do this, your electric car must be connected to a wallbox. It is also possible to use a vehicle to store electricity. Solar energy generated during the day can also be used in the evening or at night.
- Vehicle to Grid (V2G): This term is often used as a synonym for bidirectional loading. With the V2G variant, electricity from the electric car is fed not only into the home’s own power grid, but into the entire power grid. A large number of electric vehicles that feed electricity into a city’s power grid can stabilize it.
Technical hurdles and legal situation
The good news first: Bidirectional charging is generally permitted in Germany. Because it was traveled in 2019 EU Directive 2014/94/EU implemented into national law. Specifically, this means: The technology is theoretically permitted in this country as part of the provision of an infrastructure for alternative fuels. However, there are still some technical hurdles in practice.
The biggest challenge is that electric cars run on direct current, while home electricity is based on alternating current. This means that a conversion is required to feed it into the home network. When electricity flows from the house connection into an electric vehicle, a rectifier located in the vehicle or in a wallbox takes over this process.
In order to feed electricity from the car into the home’s power grid, an inverter is required – either in the vehicle or at the charging station. However, only a few electric cars and wallboxes currently support this process. Although retrofitting is possible, it is often very expensive.
In addition, regulated communication is required to transmit the power requirement from the vehicle to the charging station. The common standard for this is ISO 15118-20. V2H and V2G are therefore currently only partially marketable. With bidirectional charging, an electric vehicle should also be plugged into the socket both during the day and at night.
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The article Earning money with an electric car: What is bidirectional charging? by Fabian Peters first appeared on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.