Bidirectional charging, Lotus, Mercedes Benz, Northvolt

Bidirectional charging for electric vehicles allows the unused energy from the battery to be fed back into the electrical grid. The vehicle's battery acts like an oversized power bank – or a mini power plant. So far, the applications have been limited, but this is set to change. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck met with European decision-makers this week to discuss this. The outcome: a consensus to make this technology market-ready by 2025. This includes overcoming technical, legal, and organizational barriers. Moreover, an agreement was reached to develop a joint legal and regulatory framework to ensure taxes, duties, and levies do not hinder the development of this business model. Additionally, the industry is encouraged to lead the development of European norms and standards for bidirectional charging. Another meeting at this level is scheduled in about a year.

The British sports car brand Lotus recently unveiled its new charging solutions, including a Lotus charging station with a power output of 450 kW, 100 kW more than the fastest charging stations commonly used in the country, like the 350 kW Ionity stations. Lotus also introduced a modular power cabinet with its own liquid cooling, suitable for highway rest stops, offering an output of up to 480 kW. Furthermore, Lotus's charging suite includes a Charging Unit that allows up to four electric vehicles to be charged simultaneously with a maximum of 600 amps. Lotus's fast charging solutions are already available in China and are expected to launch in most European countries and the Middle East in the second quarter of 2024.

Mercedes-Benz has inaugurated its first own Charging Hub in Mannheim, Germany (and Europe). Electric car drivers can now quickly charge their passenger cars and vans at six charging points, each with a power output of 300 kW. Each charger has a single connection to ensure maximum energy delivery to the charging vehicle. Thanks to intelligent charging management, each vehicle can be charged with the maximum available energy. The Charging Hubs are openly accessible to all vehicle sizes, from small cars to transporters, and all vehicle brands, expanding Mercedes-Benz's own charging parks. Following Atlanta (USA), Chengdu (China), and Foshan (China), Mannheim is the fourth fast-charging park that Mercedes-Benz has launched worldwide. More are set to start by the end of the year in the USA and China, among others. In Europe, Mercedes-Benz plans to open additional charging parks starting in 2024 in Germany, Italy, Spain, and France. By the end of the decade, Mercedes-Benz

aims to operate more than 2,000 own charging parks worldwide, with over 10,000 fast-charging points.

Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt is working on a sodium-ion battery. The company announced that, in collaboration with Altris, it has developed a sodium-ion cell with an energy density of 160 Wh/kg, which is set to form the basis for Northvolt's next-generation energy storage solutions. Northvolt plans to use this technology in future generations of electric vehicles. Notable advantages of sodium-ion batteries include lower costs and higher safety at high temperatures compared to lithium-ion batteries, making them particularly attractive for markets like India, the Middle East, and Africa. Additionally, the technology can be produced using locally sourced materials, according to a company statement.