What is bidirectional charging?

Smart charging in which electricity can also flow from the car's battery back to the charging point, to a device, a house or the grid.

Explained in

Bidirectional charging · Stop 01What does bidirectional charging mean?Electricity that can also flow out of the car: what EU law means by bidirectional recharging, and how large a car battery is compared with an evening at home.

EU law defines bi-directional recharging as a smart recharging operation in which the direction of the electricity flow can be reversed, so that electricity flows from the battery to the recharging point. Smart recharging itself means adjusting the power delivered to the battery in real time, based on information received electronically.

From “Smart charging, in reverse”, stop 01

Terms

  1. Bidirectional chargingSmart charging in which the electricity can also flow from the car's battery back to the charging point.
  2. Smart chargingCharging whose power is adjusted in real time, based on information received electronically, for example from the grid operator or a price signal; EU law calls it smart recharging.
  1. What is the difference between V2H and V2G?V2H powers the house behind its meter; V2G feeds the public grid. V2G brings in generator rules, metering in both directions and the electricity market.
  2. Does V2G damage the battery?It adds energy throughput, typically a fraction of what driving adds, at low power. Fast charging above 100 kW was linked to faster ageing in a large study.
  1. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Article 2(11) and (65): bi-directional and smart recharging. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
  2. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Article 2(11) and (65): bi-directional and smart recharging. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.