Audi invents vehicle-to-grid charging system for EVs

Audi has begun trialling a new bidirectional charging system that will allow its vehicles to support a country's national electricity grid.

Developed in partnership with German electrical infrastructure experts, Hager Group, the new trial involves an Audi e-tron and a next-gen wallbox charger that can not only charge the pure-electric SUV but also draw current from the car's batteries during times of high household demand.

Developed for customers who have invested in solar or wind turbines, the new system could support a home on a day when there is either no sun or wind to produce power.

Using your car to store energy may also negate the need for many homeowners to purchase a home energy storage solution, like Tesla's Powerwall.

Audi says that thanks to its new tech, some homeowners will be able to achieve near-complete energy independence.

Others will be able to protect their homes against blackouts or brownouts in the height of summer when the electrical grid becomes overwhelmed.

Audi is not the first firm to develop Vehicle to Home (V2H) bidirectional charging systems. Nissan has also developed similar tech that uses its LEAF to draw charge from the grid off peak and then sell it back to the energy provider when demand is high.

Its Alliance partner Renault has also added experimental V2H chargers to the ZOE, enabling the onboard devices to feed back current whenever and wherever the small hatch is plugged in.

In Audi's trial, the e-tron works with a 12kW DC wallbox charger and a small home storage unit with a capacity of 9kWh. Drawing and feeding current to each other, Audi claims the e-tron does not need an inverter, meaning the system is far more efficient.

Despite announcing the new trial, Audi has not confirmed when it will be offering the new V2H charging system to its customers.