Volkswagen has joined an International Energy Agency (IEA) programme working to improve the interoperability of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems, becoming the first carmaker to partner with the initiative known as Task 53.
Task 53 is part of the IEA’s Electric Vehicle Technology Collaboration Programme and is backed by 15 countries. The consortium aims to achieve seamless bidirectional charging between electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and electricity networks.
Task 53 described Volkswagen’s participation as a “strategically important step,” adding: “Volkswagen’s commitment underscores the importance of Task 53 in advancing sustainable mobility and supporting the global transition to smart, bidirectional charging.”
The German automaker already offers bidirectional DC charging in its MEB-based models equipped with a 77 kWh battery from software version 3.5 onwards. While the functionality is technically available, it remains rarely used in practice. Volkswagen continues to be involved in several pilot projects exploring bidirectional charging.
According to Task 53, Volkswagen acknowledges that “broad adoption of bidirectional charging depends on robust interoperability between vehicles, chargers, and grids.” The consortium added: “By joining Task 53, Volkswagen aims to remove existing and newly identified interoperability obstacles—uncovered during intensive testing within Task 53 and its partner laboratories. These ‘bugs & gaps’ currently hinder interoperability and limit the economic viability and scalability of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) solutions.”
V2G technology is viewed by industry experts as a way to better integrate renewable energy into grids by enabling electric vehicles to return stored power when required, potentially supporting energy stability and creating new business models for automakers.
