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.

Explained in

Bidirectional charging · Stop 02V2L, V2H and V2G: what is the difference?Vehicle to load, to home and to grid: three ways a car can give energy back, and how far each reaches beyond the car.
  • V2L is between the car and a device, with no connection to the building installation and so no effect on the grid. No wallbox is needed, only a socket or an adapter on the car.
  • V2H powers the house. In island mode the house is separated from the grid; in parallel with the grid, the energy stays in the house installation, and car and inverter must meet the rules for generation units and storage, in Germany VDE-AR-N 4105.
  • V2G feeds into the public grid. One car's effect is small, so many cars are usually pooled by aggregators.
From “Each step adds parties”, stop 02

Terms

  1. InverterPower electronics that turn the battery's direct current into alternating current for the motor, and back when the car regenerates.
  2. AggregatorA company that pools many small devices, such as cars and home batteries, so they can take part in electricity markets.
  3. V2HVehicle to home: the car powers the house behind its meter through a bidirectional wallbox.
  4. V2GVehicle to grid: the car feeds energy into the public grid; because one car's effect is small, many cars are usually pooled by an aggregator.
  1. 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.
  2. Does V2G damage the battery?Batteries age with time and with use. In a large telematics study, frequent fast charging above 100 kW went with faster ageing; powering a house is low-power use, closer to AC charging than to fast charging.
  3. How does a car know when to discharge?It follows the wallbox. After both have selected the bidirectional service and stated their limits, the wallbox drives the current every moment within those limits and reports it; a negative value means out of the car. The deep dive reads one evening of those messages.
  1. VDE FNN: Hinweis Bidirektionales Laden, version 1.0, February 2024: V2L, V2H in island and parallel operation, V2G, and the rules for generation units. https://www.vde.com/resource/blob/2303260/4430c923f56d66ba8f5b41ca5db2a480/bidirektionales-laden-download-data.pdf. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
  2. ADAC: Bidirektionale Wallbox: Welche Modelle es gibt und was sie können (26 June 2026): DC wallbox or bidirectional onboard charger. https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-haus/energie/versorgung/bidirektionale-wallbox/. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
  3. VDE FNN: Hinweis Bidirektionales Laden, version 1.0, February 2024: V2L, V2H in island and parallel operation, V2G, and the rules for generation units. https://www.vde.com/resource/blob/2303260/4430c923f56d66ba8f5b41ca5db2a480/bidirektionales-laden-download-data.pdf. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
  4. VDE FNN: Hinweis Bidirektionales Laden, version 1.0, February 2024: V2L, V2H in island and parallel operation, V2G, and the rules for generation units. https://www.vde.com/resource/blob/2303260/4430c923f56d66ba8f5b41ca5db2a480/bidirektionales-laden-download-data.pdf. Checked 13 Oct 2026.