Germany must take action now to maintain leadership in Vehicle-to-Grid innovation

Germany’s leading Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) providers showcase the entire charging chain from the car to the power grid at the international Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

• Ambibox, EcoG, and The Mobility House jointly present the various components of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) at a booth at the international Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
• To advance the expansion of V2G in Germany, there is a need for equal treatment of mobile and stationary storage, i.e., the elimination of double charges in grid fees, a standardized registration process, and updatable charging infrastructure.
• The German Federal Government supports V2G with the presence of the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing, at CES.

LAS VEGAS, USA, 10th of January 2024: Vehicle-to-Grid technology gains attention at CES from leading German companies such as Ambibox, EcoG, and The Mobility House. The current German Federal Government has emphasized this topic since the coalition agreement. At the trade show, the three companies receive direct support from the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing. Developments over the past year underline the potential of V2G for the energy market and climate protection. Some automotive manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, also announce the integration of bidirectional charging into their models.

Focus on V2G core components

At CES 2024, the three companies now jointly present the relevant puzzle pieces for V2G at the German Pavilion (Booth 55439): Technology company EcoG introduces an operating system and reference design for bidirectional wall boxes. This system links the hardware of charging station and home energy management system manufacturer Ambibox with the technology of The Mobility House, which markets vehicle batteries on the energy market. 

Energy transition and grid stability thanks to V2G

Vehicle-to-Grid or bidirectional charging holds enormous potential for the energy transition and grid stability. Millions of decentralized, connected electric vehicles could form a massive swarm storage and provide flexible balancing to volatile energy sources like wind and solar, with reduced grid expansion and without inconvenience to drivers. This can minimize the use of fossil power plants, which have traditionally provided a significant portion of flexibility. Electric vehicles thus become an integral part of climate protection, reducing not only CO2 emissions in mobility but also in power generation. 

Ambibox, EcoG, and The Mobility House are advocating for the following points to maintain Germany’s leadership in V2G/bidirectional charging innovation:

• Equal treatment of mobile storage in fee exemptions: A use of vehicle batteries that supports the energy system should be treated the same as stationary storage. This requires extending grid fee exemptions to V2G.
• Unified registration process: Germany needs to work on making V2G easy to register with the grid operator. Currently, there are over 800 different grid operators with often individual registration procedures.
• Updatable charging infrastructure: To adapt conditions during the V2G rollout, DC charging systems are needed that can be adjusted to the grid connection via software updates, complying with ISO 15118-20 according to CharIN application guidelines.

About EcoG

EcoG is a global IP and tech company working on the rapid expansion of sustainable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. With its charge controllers, reference designs and software, it enables companies to get products & services to market quickly and scale profitably.

EcoG is already the market leader in Europe with more than 15% market share and a strong footprint in the Indian and North American markets. Overall, EcoG grew four times faster than the market last year. Industrial giants such as Siemens or one of the world’s largest service station equipment suppliers are among its customers. The company continues to grow in 2024 and as a next step invests 14,4M$ in its North American HQ in the USA.

About Ambibox

Ambibox develops and manufactures bidirectional wall boxes and energy management systems enabling Vehicle-to-Grid and Vehicle-to-Home applications. As a pioneer in bidirectional charging technology, the company has successfully charged and discharged a vehicle under real conditions while complying with the current industry standard ISO-15118-20.  

The Mainz-based company collaborates closely with numerous global vehicle manufacturers, developing hardware and software solutions that enable bidirectional charging. Ambibox integrates DC wallboxes into a comprehensive system of photovoltaics, battery, charging station, heat pump, and energy management system. Delivery of bidirectional wall boxes begins in the first quarter of 2024.

About The Mobility House

The goal of The Mobility House is to shape a zero-emission energy and mobility future. We integrate vehicle batteries into the power grid using intelligent charging and energy solutions. This way, we promote the development of renewable energies, stabilize the power grid, and make electric mobility more affordable.

The technology company was founded in 2009 and operates globally from its sites in Munich, Zurich, Paris, Singapore and Belmont (CA). We support our private and business customers on their way to electromobility through the planning and building process as well as the operation of an individual charging infrastructure. As a neutral supplier, we work together with many partners such as charging infrastructure manufacturers, installation companies, back-end system operators, energy suppliers and automobile manufacturers. Our proprietary EV Aggregation Platform forms the technological foundation for our intelligent Charging and Energy Management system, ChargePilot, and eyond, a smart charging tariff that makes charging affordable while also stabilizing the power grids and markets. For more information visit mobilityhouse.com. 

Press Contact EcoG:
Mirjam Laubenbacher, Head of Communications
mirjam@ecog.io 
+49 151 28209346

Press Contact Ambibox:
info@ambibox.de 
+49 6131 633902 0

Press Contact The Mobility House:
Manuela Niklasch, Head of Corporate Communications
communication@mobilityhouse.com 
+49 152 5695 72 83