E.ON survey: Around 60 percent are open to bidirectional charging

Innovative electricity tariffs, such as those with a fixed kilowatt-hour price and an additional bonus for nighttime charging, are attracting interest from many electric car owners. This is demonstrated by a recent E.ON survey of more than 1,000 electric car drivers on charging behavior, tariff choices, and openness to new energy solutions. For example, 37 percent of respondents with their own wallbox at home are most likely to imagine an electricity tariff with a fixed price and a nighttime charging bonus, 19 percent prefer a model where the price is dynamically adjusted according to the electricity market, 18 percent want to stick with the traditional tariff, and the remainder do not want to commit to a specific tariff. Furthermore, the survey shows that awareness of innovative tariffs is growing overall: Almost three-quarters (73 percent) are already aware of offers that can make charging more affordable depending on the time of day.

Bidirectional charging: “The pinnacle of innovative charging modes is, of course, bidirectional charging. In the future, it will make it possible not only to charge the electric car’s battery, but also to feed the energy back into the power grid (vehicle-to-grid) or the home (vehicle-to-home). Around a third of homeowners with electric cars can imagine using electricity from their cars to supply their own household. A further 26 percent support feeding it back into both the home and the public grid. Bidirectional charging closely interlinks the energy system and mobility and will play a key role in the energy world of tomorrow,” says Jens Michael Peters, member of the E.ON Germany Management Board responsible for Energy Solutions and Electromobility.

Vehicle-to-home offers advantages, especially for owners of solar systems: Solar power generated during the day that is not immediately consumed can be temporarily stored in the electric car’s large battery and used flexibly at a later time. For example, in the evening, when the sun is no longer shining, the stored solar power can be used to operate energy-intensive appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, or stoves – without drawing power from the grid. Pilot households have shown that the “mobile battery” is a good complement to an existing home battery storage system, although it is significantly smaller than a vehicle’s.

Vehicle-to-Grid will be of interest to many e-mobility users in the future, who can charge their vehicles using their own wallbox – even without a solar system. In this new energy system, the electric vehicle can be charged or discharged from the grid depending on electricity supply and demand. Users benefit financially by making the battery available. By setting a permanent minimum charge level and the desired battery charge the next morning, for example, the electric vehicle is ready for use as usual when the next trip is due.

High interest in intelligent control of personal energy solutions via HEMS: Those who can charge at home (according to the survey, 71 percent of e-car drivers) already have the option of actively integrating their own vehicle into the home energy system. Home energy management systems (HEMS) play a key role in this. They consist of a small box with intelligent software and enable the automated control of energy flows in the home, thus, for example, maximizing the self-consumption of solar power from their own PV system. 56 percent of people with a solar system and an electric car want to use a HEMS specifically to use excess solar power to charge their vehicle. Those who do not have a solar system see added value primarily in the integration of dynamic electricity tariffs (36 percent).

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