Volkswagen Group’s Elli, the brand specializing in charging and energy solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with European solar platform Otovo. The collaboration aims to provide customers purchasing an Elli wallbox through VW sales channels in Europe with the opportunity to also purchase a photovoltaic (PV) system. This combined offering is expected to reduce the operating costs of electric cars by up to 40 percent, starting in the summer of 2024.
Described as a “holistic solution,” the partnership’s goal is to merge clean solar energy with electromobility, offering tailored solutions for the growing electric vehicle market. Initially, the focus will be on efficient PV surplus charging, which utilizes excess solar energy to charge electric vehicles directly.
Customers in Europe will be able to buy a PV system along with the new Elli Charger 2, which can be installed by an Otovo solar installer. The coordination between the wallbox and solar storage system allows consumers to charge their vehicles with excess PV power and save on charging costs. At night, the vehicle can be charged with cheap grid electricity, while solar power stored in the house battery can be reserved for the next morning.
According to Andreas Thorsheim, CEO and founder of Otovo, the partnership with Elli presents solar solutions at the best price directly at the point of sale, making the savings associated with PV systems immediately visible. This collaboration aims to significantly expand their joint market potential.
Giovanni Palazzo, CEO of Elli, emphasized the importance of making the entire charging ecosystem simple, accessible, and cost-effective for customers to further promote electromobility. The partnership with Otovo signifies not only a significant development for the charging and energy business in Germany and Europe but also the intelligent integration of the mobility and energy transition at home.
The Elli Charger 2, developed with a focus on Europe, will be available in 28 countries from the summer. It offers a broad power spectrum to accommodate regional differences in home connections and is compatible with all vehicles with a type 2 connection, providing a maximum charging power of 22 kW.
In addition to the partnership with Otovo, Elli announced its entry into the industrial-scale energy storage segment. The company plans to develop and market energy storage projects with partners, with the first projects expected to have an output of up to 350 MW and 700 MWh of storage capacity. The first storage project could be launched in Germany as early as 2025, indicating strong growth potential for Elli in the energy storage market across Europe.
