Bidirectional charging has been possible on a technical level for a long time. So what is holding back the potential of this quiet revolution in the switch to renewable energies that has become known by the German term ‘Energiewende’?

Can electric cars help accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources? And can we solve the e-car issue of how to stabilise the irregular supply of renewable electricity?

It might still sound far-fetched and obscure, but the concept known in Germany under the term ‘bidirektionales Laden (EN: bidirectional charging) has already been designed ready for application in everyday use in the BDL Next project in Munich, to name just one. Imagine, for instance, a power outage, which is common in many countries. The consumer need not even notice; the lights do not go out and all electrical appliances continue to operate. This is not because an emergency generator kicks in, but because the electric car takes over. This is made possible by bidirectional charging: an electric car feeding electricity back into the home network.