Mercedes launches V2G offer with annual bonus

Mercedes-Benz is launching an offer for bidirectional charging in Germany with The Mobility House Energy. Electric cars are intended to buffer surplus green electricity and feed it back into the public grid when needed. For the time connected to the cable, Mercedes is currently indicating a bonus of more than 500 euros per year if a vehicle is connected for an average of twelve hours per day. The remuneration is also intended to apply when the car is neither charging nor feeding power back at that moment; Mercedes does not name a daily, monthly or annual cap for the introductory offer. The actual bonus mainly depends on how available the vehicle is. The first 500 customers receive the ChargeLine Bidi wallbox made by EVtec for 1,990 instead of the regular 2,990 euros, provided the contract is concluded by the end of March 2027. In addition, 250 euros of credit for public charging via MB.Charge Public is planned, for which a separate charging contract with Mercedes is required. Mercedes considers amortisation of the wallbox within four years possible; installation and further running costs are not included in this. Depending on the installation location, wallbox installations including modifications in the meter cabinet can cost an additional 1,000 to 3,000 euros, and according to the report a Smart Meter Gateway costs about 100 euros per year in addition.

The V2G offer runs under MB.Charge Home Pro Intelligent and, in addition to the wallbox, requires a special electricity tariff, the MB.Charge Home Pro digital extra in the vehicle and a Smart Meter Gateway. The wallbox transmits direct current and charges at up to 11 kW; 400- and 800-volt vehicles are supported. All electric cars with a CCS connector can charge, while feeding power back is possible only with suitable vehicles. For communication between car and charger, Mercedes uses the ISO 15118-20 standard. At launch, the electric GLC model range and the electric C-Class are to begin, with VLE, GLA, EQS, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLB named for later. EQE and the pre-facelift version of the EQS are expected to be left out. Depending on the model, the function is to be activated after market launch via software update; the activated digital extra “pre-installation for MB.Charge Home Pro” is required. Mercedes does not name specific activation dates. On 1 October, the Federal Network Agency adopted new rules for the market integration of storage systems and charging points; a transition period applies until the end of September 2027, during which using the new options requires the consent of the grid operator and metering point operator.