Funded research

BMWK: BDL

Bidirectional Charging Management

Interdisciplinary partners from the automotive, energy and scientific sectors develop and test a user-orientated concept for the integration of electromobility into the German power grid within the context of the innovative project BCM.

The continuous growth of the fleet of electric vehicles and the increasing share of renewables in the energy mix are integral contributions towards the energy transition in Germany. Firstly, both trends call for the need to balance out fluctuations and peak loads in the power grid. Secondly, energy originating from renewable sources is to be used optimally. The holistic integration of electric vehicles into the power grid in Germany could prospectively contribute towards an increased security of supply and a more efficient usage of green energy.

The Project

Hence, a loading technology gets developed and tested, which enables the electric vehicle´s high-voltage battery to not only draw electrical power but also to reverse this process and feed electrical power back into the grid. In a way, the electric vehicles turn into mobile energy storage devices, which draw power during times of low demand and supply power when the demand is high. Besides technological solutions, an intelligent interaction between electric vehicles, loading infrastructure, and power grids is required. Therefore, the interdisciplinary project partners from the automotive, energy and scientific sectors aim to develop holistic solutions.

For a successful and sustainable market launch of the energy services, a high level of user approval is essential. Thus, the University of Passau does research on the perspective of potential customers. Here, CENTOURIS as well as the Chair of Marketing and Innovation are involved.

Throughout the course of the project, perception and preferences of different target groups get explored by means of scientifically sound methods. So, technological developments are accompanied by user surveys and usability tests. The incorporation of direct customer feedback into the development process aims at a high level of user comfort. Beginning with the pilot phase in early 2021, the technology gets evaluated at several times regarding its user-friendliness. Here, a mixed-methods approach is applied, and private as well as fleet customers are surveyed.

The research team of the University of Passau aims to derive recommendations for the practical design of offers and incentives. Since there are only few insights to the perceptions and to the user behavior due to the novelty of the technology, the scientific discourse in the area of bidirectional loading shall be stimulated also. The findings will be published in specialist journals and presented on national and international conferences and congresses. In addition, the insights get incorporated in the teaching content of students. Finally, further research shall be initiated.


Project Duration: 05/2019 - 04/2022

Project Amount: 685.435,00 €

Project Website: www.uni-passau.de/bdl/

Further Participating Institutions:

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Förderhinweis des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz.
Logo des Projektträgers Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
Mann steht auf Balkon und steuert mit seinem Telefon die Ladung seines Elektroautos. Im Hintergrund sind das Elektroauto angeschlossen an der Ladestation auf der Straße und ein spazierendes Paar zu sehen.