Volkswagen Group and Elli Launch Vehicle-to-Grid Program for MEB-Based EVs in Germany
Volkswagen Group and its energy brand Elli are rolling out a vehicle-to-grid service that lets electric car owners sell stored battery energy back to the grid, starting in Germany.
1 million
up to €720
up to €22 billion
What Happened
Volkswagen Group and its energy brand Elli are launching a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) offering for the volume market, initially targeting customers of Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and CUPRA in Germany. The package includes a compatible electric vehicle, a DC bidirectional charger called Elli BiDi Charger, a new Volkswagen Naturstrom V2G Flow tariff, and the Elli BiDi App for control. Vehicles from ID. Software 3.5 with 77 kWh or more battery capacity and all ID. models with ID. Software 6 are eligible. The system is designed to be simple: users plug in, set availability via the app, and the vehicle feeds energy back to the grid during idle times, earning a plug-in bonus of up to €720 in the first contract year.
“The difference between combustion-engine vehicles and electric cars will in future be evident not only in the drivetrain. The electric car will become part of a digital energy and mobility system: it can store electricity, charge in a controlled manner, feed energy back and thus also create economic added value while parked. With Vehicle-to-Grid, we are making this advantage usable for customers.”
up to €720per year
Possible in the first contract year, according to current planning.
Elli bundles available battery capacities and connects them with the energy market, acting as Volkswagen Group's energy manager. The company draws on technology from The Mobility House Energy for the market ramp-up. The expansion of renewable energy drives the need for flexible storage, and V2G allows MEB vehicles with a combined potential storage capacity of several dozen gigawatt-hours to become part of a virtual power plant. Registration for the offering is open from the start of Power2Drive, with ordering expected by the end of the year. Further markets, including France and the UK, will follow once technical and regulatory requirements are met.
Why this matters
This turns electric cars into mobile power banks that can earn money for owners while helping stabilize the electricity grid as renewable energy expands.
Terms in This Story
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)
- Technology that allows an electric vehicle to feed energy from its battery back into the electricity grid, enabling owners to earn money or reduce energy costs.
- MEB
- Volkswagen Group's modular electric drive matrix platform for battery electric vehicles.
- Bidirectional charging
- The ability of an EV to both charge from and discharge electricity to an external source, such as the grid.
- Virtual power plant
- A network of decentralized energy resources, such as EV batteries, that can be aggregated and controlled to provide grid services.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.