ID. Familie startet mit bidirektionalem Laden. Foto: Volkswagen AG
From now on, many models in the ID. Family now offer bidirectional charging with the “Vehicle to Home” function. This means that with a home power station and the integrated Home Energy Management System (HEMS)02 from Volkswagen partner HagerEnergy GmbH, customers can cover as much of their electricity needs as possible with their photovoltaic system. Both companies have launched a pilot project in Sweden in which an entire housing estate is being equipped with vehicles and the corresponding charging infrastructure.
ID. Models with the 77 kWh battery (net) can serve as a supplementary electricity storage unit for the home in future with the bidirectional charging function. VW will also be able to activate the function for vehicles that have already been delivered as soon as they have also received the ID. Software 3.5 via an update. Thanks to the high storage capacity of the cars, a house can be supplied with solar power even over several cloudy days. The same applies in the evening when the sun has set and the photovoltaic system is no longer supplying electricity. Customers can decide for themselves when to draw energy from the public grid and when to use the self-generated electricity stored in the vehicle battery.
Intelligent charging stabilizes the power grid
In addition, clever electricity tariffs and algorithms already make it possible to charge the car precisely when there is a lot of renewable energy available. For example, wind turbines do not have to be curtailed because the electricity generated cannot be drawn. The e-cars can in turn feed electricity into the customer’s home grid (vehicle-to-home) and also help to stabilize the electricity grid in the future.
Swedish housing estate Stenberg is already benefiting
The Stenberg estate in Hudiksvall, Sweden, is the site of a pilot project for bidirectional charging. The farm, which was converted as the basis for the new estate, has been standing for around 350 years. Swedish entrepreneur Klas Boman wants to make the houses future-proof and sustainable for another 350 years by converting them.
