The survey, conducted between August to October 2023, sheds light on 67 car brands' attitudes towards two-way charging. Interestingly, almost half of these brands did not give any response to questions about this innovative technology, suggesting either low interest or poor customer service.
What automotive brands have to say about two-way charging
Of the brands that did respond, it appears that only a handful fully support bi-directional charging, meaning their electric vehicles can not only charge but also feed energy back to the grid, home and even appliances. Some of these forward-thinking brands include Volvo, Polestar, Kia and Lucid Motors.
Different aspects of two-way charging
The survey also highlights the different aspects of bi-directional charging, such as V2G (vehicle to grid), V2L (vehicle to load) and V2H (vehicle to home). V2G enables electric cars to feed excess energy back to the grid, V2L enables power to appliances, while V2H feeds energy back to homes or offices. These versatile capabilities can play an important role in stabilising the grid and storing sustainably generated energy.
Bidirectional charging: a missed opportunity?
With the growing urgency of sustainability and the need for energy storage solutions, many car brands' lack of enthusiasm towards bi-directional charging raises important questions. This technology has the potential to accelerate the energy transition while providing households with the ability to store and use their own sustainably generated energy when it is most needed.
