Using the electric car as a power storage device for your own household, whether for lights or laptops: This is exactly what could be possible with “bidirectional charging”. How widespread is the technology?
According to an Eon study, electric cars have great potential as energy storage devices for your own household. The Essen-based energy company published an analysis according to which electric cars with special battery technology could theoretically store enough electricity to supply 1.75 million households with energy for twelve hours. Eon refers to the 166,000 electric cars registered in Germany that are ready for two-way charging, bidirectional charging (“bidi-ready”).
Electricity is stored in the car battery, which was generated, for example, with a photovoltaic system on a homeowner’s roof. Later, electricity from the car parked in front of the house flows into the apartment to cover the energy needs there. The battery is not only used for driving a car, but it also becomes a temporary storage device so that the user becomes a little less dependent on energy from the power grid.
Households could become more independent of the electricity grid
So far, bidirectional charging is a niche. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, there are 60.7 million registered vehicles in Germany. The 166,000 “bidi ready” cars mentioned by Eon – these are primarily models from Asian manufacturers – only account for around 0.3 percent of the entire German fleet.
“A comprehensive, comprehensive use of the technology is currently being tested,” says Eon manager Filip Thon and advocates using the electric car battery “not just for driving, but as an integrated part of our energy system.” . The Eon analysis is a thought game that emphasizes the great potential of the still young technology.
Source: Stern
