Volkswagen subsidiary Elli will launch a pilot project for bidirectional charging in private households from December 2025, allowing electric vehicles to power home appliances with self-generated solar energy, the company said at the IAA Mobility show.
The initiative uses an 11 kW DC wallbox developed with Cubos, designed to comply with calibration standards and integrate with home photovoltaic systems from Otovo. Through Elli’s modular software platform and app, energy flows between the public grid, solar panels, the EV and household devices can be managed.
Participation is limited to households with an Otovo PV system and a Volkswagen electric car equipped with a 77 kWh battery and software version 3.5 or higher, including MEB-based models. Elli said the technology could cut charging costs by up to 75%, though exact savings will be assessed during the pilot.
Elli aims to expand the programme into a “Managed Battery Network” that aggregates electric car batteries and large-scale storage into a virtual power plant on the European Power Exchange by 2030. The company’s PowerCenter in Salzgitter, a 20 MW/40 GWh LFP battery facility, is set to begin operations this December as part of that plan.
“With our pilot project at IAA Mobility 2025, we’re opening a new chapter in the history of electric mobility,” Elli CEO Giovanni Palazzo said. “Bidirectional charging is the enabler of energy self-sufficiency at home.”
