Today, Volkswagen gave some exciting information regarding the ecosystem around charging electric cars in a press conference. Plug & Charge will be introduced via an update in 2022, which will probably soon make the charging card superfluous. The ID. Thanks to bidirectional charging, models become energy storage devices for your own home and much more. Below are the most important messages in short form:
Plug & Charge
In 2022 you will receive the ID. Volkswagen models have a new function that replaces today’s authentication via charging card and thus makes charging at fast charging stations even easier: As soon as the customer plugs in the charging cable, encrypted and secure communication starts between the car and the station in accordance with the ISO 15118 standard. This authentication only takes a few seconds, then the loading process begins. Billing runs as usual via the We Charge contract. Plug & Charge will be used in the networks of Ionity, Aral, bp and EON in 2022. Discussions with other major partners are underway.
Volkswagen Communications
Bidirectional charging
The prerequisite for intelligent charging at home is a home energy management system (HEMS). It knows all the requirements of consumers so that it can intelligently stagger and manage their power supply. This makes charging with self-generated solar power even easier for owners of a photovoltaic system.
But the potential becomes even greater in combination with bidirectional charging – a groundbreaking technology that is about to be launched at Volkswagen: The electric cars can feed electricity that they do not need into the customer’s home network (vehicle-to-home) and in the future also to stabilize the power grid. All ID. Models with the 77 kWh battery will be enabled for this technology in the future. For vehicles that have already been delivered, it will gradually also be available via over-the-air update. Power transfer and communication take place via a special DC BiDi wallbox.Volkswagen Communications
Here my ID.4 charges pure solar power, soon also bidirectionally?
More charging power for ID. Models
All IDs will roll shortly. Models with a new software version coming off the production line, which brings advantages when loading. With the 77 kWh battery, the maximum output increases from 125 to 135 kW (or 150 kW for the ID.5 GTX1), which saves up to nine minutes of charging time when charging from 5 to 80 percent SOC. These improvements will soon be activated via a software update in customer vehicles that have already been delivered. To protect the battery as much as possible, there is the new Battery Care Mode. It limits the charge level (SOC) to 80 percent.
Conclusion
The Plug & Charge coming was a matter of time, I’m looking forward to it. But even more so is the news that all ID. Models with the 77kWh battery will be available for bidirectional charging. This is great news and I’m looking forward to next year. I will of course test the increased charging performance through a software update as soon as the update is installed on my vehicle…