Bidirectional charging FAQ

Bidirectional charging lets an electric vehicle send energy back. To a home (V2H), to a building (V2B), or to the grid (V2G).

The hardware is largely solved. The regulation is not. That gap decides when a real customer can use it.

Are Veton chargers ready for bidirectional charging?

Yes. Every Veton® charging point is AC bidirectional ready. The charger-side hardware required by ISO 15118-20, the European standard for bidirectional Plug & Charge, is already on board. Once the legal framework lands, a software update activates an existing installation. No hardware change.

In most homes today, bidirectional charging is not yet usable. The blocker is regulatory, not technical. That applies to every brand.

Why is bidirectional charging not usable yet?

To feed energy back into a building or the grid, the exact car-and-charger pair has to be approved as a bidirectional system by the local grid operator (DSO). Approval is per country. Each EU member state runs its own rules and its own timeline. Today, almost no residential customer can run V2H or V2G in production. The exceptions are closed proof-of-concept pilots.

Europe is working on harmonised rules. An approved car-and-charger pair would then be recognised across member states. A workable framework is expected late 2026 or in 2027. When it lands, a software update activates the hardware already in every Veton® charger.

AC bidirectional vs DC bidirectional

There are two routes. They differ in cost, in complexity, and in how realistic each one is for a residential project.

AC bidirectional. The car’s onboard charger works in both directions. It converts AC from the grid to DC for the battery, and DC from the battery back to AC for the home or grid. The wall unit stays a relatively simple AC charger. The governing standard, covering the car-to-charger handshake, metering, authentication and safety, is ISO 15118-20.

Europe is pushing this route through AFIR (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, EU 2023/1804). The ISO 15118 mandate lands in 2026 for public chargers and in 2027 for all chargers. That sets the market direction. Veton® already ships ISO 15118-20-ready hardware on every charger.

DC bidirectional. The conversion happens in the wall unit or in a separate inverter, not in the car. The wall hardware then needs a much larger, more expensive bidirectional power-electronics block. Often shared with, or integrated into, the building’s solar inverter or home battery.

Today, most working DC bidirectional pilots are closed proprietary stacks. One charger, one car, one energy-management platform, all from the same vendor. Mixing brands is rarely possible. Certification for a third-party vehicle is slow. For a home that wants to change car later, that is a real constraint.

Which way is Europe heading?

Towards AC bidirectional. AFIR and ISO 15118-20 push the standardised, interoperable AC route. Any compliant car works with any compliant charger.

DC bidirectional keeps its niche where high power and tight integration with a stationary battery or solar inverter make sense, such as commercial energy-storage installations. As the residential default, AC bidirectional is the realistic direction. Veton®’s hardware is built to it.

What can I actually do today?

• Specify a charger that is ready. No hardware needs replacing once the rules land. Every Veton® charger is AC bidirectional ready, with ISO 15118-20 hardware on board.
• Plan the energy infrastructure for it. Leave room in the indoor enclosure. Size the cable run for future use. Choose a car with a bidirectional-capable onboard charger.
• Use the smart charging modes that work today. Solar surplus, dynamic load balancing, dynamic tariff. Most of the value people expect from V2G is already there in smart unidirectional charging.

What about V2L?

V2L (vehicle-to-load) is a separate, much simpler feature. The car powers a small AC outlet directly. For tools, camping appliances, an emergency household circuit.

It does not depend on the charger or on the grid operator. If a car supports V2L, the driver can use it today through the car’s own socket. No bidirectional wallbox required.

Last updated: 1 July 2026