Sabine Busse, CEO of Hager Group, emphasized the crucial importance of bidirectional charging and stationary energy storage systems for the energy supply of the future at an event of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Saarbrücken.

In her keynote speech, she explained that bidirectional charging technology not only enables a higher share of renewable energy in the energy mix but also contributes to stabilizing the power grid. The technology enables charging the batteries of electric vehicles and transferring the stored energy back to the stationary storage system in the building or to the grid when needed.

"Electric cars are no longer just means of transportation – they are mobile energy storage units. With bidirectional charging, we can use more electricity from renewable energy sources, keep the power grid stable, and thus make an important contribution to the energy system of the future", said Sabine Busse.

In this context Johannes Hauck, Corporate Affairs Director of Hager Group stresses the need to simplify regulatory frameworks to enable the widespread adoption of these technologies. “Local low-barrier flexibility markets and creating an equal status for mobile and stationary storage systems will make bidirectional charging much more attractive for end consumers,” says Hauck. 

Hager Group develops and markets innovative solutions that allow electric vehicles to be used as storage for excess solar energy and feed this energy back into the home or public grid as needed. In January 2024, the Hager Group Brand E3/DC introduced a certified solution for bidirectional charging  to the German-speaking market together with Volkswagen, making it the first supplier in the German-speaking market. 

Furthermore, Hager Group tests and implements these technologies in a field test. This test is designed to gain further insights into the optimal usage of the systems in order to increase autarky, extend battery life and make the user experience even more intuitive. 



From left to right: Armin Gehl, Managing Director of autoregion e.V., Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency, Sabine Busse, CEO Hager Group, Carsten Meier, Director of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Saarland, Johanna Kardel, Elli/Volkswagen  Group Charging GmbH, Roman Fixemer, Managing Director of VSE Verteilnetz GmbH and Thomas Gebhart, CEO of Stadtwerke Saarbrücken Netz AG discussed the opportunities of the technology for supply security, grid stability, and efficient use of renewable energy.

However, the company's research on grid stability and flexibility is not limited to bidirectional charging. Additional projects that demonstrate the benefits of smart energy management for communities include an innovation projects with Stadtwerke Saarbrücken  and Stadtwerke Saarlouis, as well as the BMWK-funded joint projects RESIGENT and FLEX CHAIN. 

The goal is to ensure grid stability amidst the increasing use of large consumers such as heat pumps and electric vehicles through intelligent control. Additionally, new insights will be gained into how buildings and the grid can better collaborate to avoid peak loads and ensure supply security.

Learn more about our vehicle to home solutions and research project in collaboration with Audi in the video below.