Regulierung: Brandbrief an Bundesnetzagentur: Autoindustrie warnt vor neuen Hürden für E-Autos

Düsseldorf – As the number of electric cars on German roads surges thanks to record-high prices, the potential to store power in these vehicles also grows. The Bundesnetzagentur, which oversees the energy market among other things, plans a new law to make this happen: electric cars will not only draw power from the grid but also feed it back when needed, a so-called bidirectional charging or "V2G".

This could save consumers and the state billions while lowering electricity prices. The auto industry, however, fears the new regulation will undermine their technology leadership "made in Germany". They argue that the Bundesnetzagentur's proposals for defining the integration of storage and charging points ("Festlegung zur Marktintegration von Speichern und Ladepunkten" - Mispel) will make bidirectional charging economically unattractive, potentially hindering the mass market.

A major German manufacturer warns that investing hundreds of millions of euros in electric vehicles could be jeopardized if the technology doesn't get a proper start. Alongside energy companies such as Eon, Octopus Energy, Mobility House and Enpal, auto giants BMW, Ford and the electricity arm of VW have penned an open letter to the Bundesnetzagentur, expressing their concerns.