BMW and E.ON connect EVs to home PV system

When BMW and E.ON announced their strategic cooperation in May 2023, the partners said the product “will launch in several European countries in the second half of the year.” It ended up being the first half of 2024. According to the press release, the pilot markets are Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

In these countries, BMW customers can order the service for all battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids from BMW and Mini via the online vehicle configurator. The core elements of the offer are the BMW / MINI Wallbox Plus as an intelligent charging station, a Smart Energy Module with a backend connection as the basis for the Connected Home Charging Services, as well as all installation work and commissioning and setup by E.ON, according to BMW.

Customers can configure how the vehicle will be integrated for grid- or solar-optimised charging themselves “intuitively via the familiar My BMW App or MINI App.” For example, they can use solar-optimised surplus charging so that the EV is charged with energy generated by their own PV system wherever possible. Further functions will be added in the future. These include cost-optimised charging, “where customers can benefit from daily price developments on the electricity market to charge at particularly low prices at certain times.” Bidirectional charging will also be possible with the Neue Klasse from 2025.

The “Connected Home Charging” package costs at least 1,769 in Germany; the price may increase “depending on the installation effort on site.” However, the use of smart functions at no additional cost is limited in time. “After the third year of use, the intelligent functions can be extended via the BMW / MINI ConnectedDrive Store,” says BMW. However, BMW has not yet specified how much this will cost.

“Together with E.ON, we are making the car a crucial element of the smart home, with BMW and MINI electric cars at its centre. This brings balance to the private energy ecosystem and thus reduced energy costs for our customers as well as an improved carbon footprint through the optimised use of green energy,” says Dominik Becks, Head of New Business Areas for Energy Services at the BMW Group. “The cooperation will also enable us to integrate intelligently into the energy market in the future.”

“Because green driving doesn’t work without green charging, I am delighted that we are working with BMW to offer not only energy management but also solar charging for drivers of electric BMWs and MINIs as a first step,” adds Mathias Wiecher, CCO of E.ON Drive. “This will allow EV drivers to decide whether they prefer to charge with their own solar power. According to our survey, 67 per cent of EV drivers in Germany who own their own home already have a solar system. We are therefore convinced that our joint ‘Connected Home Charging’ solution can offer many people added value for even more efficient energy use.”

bmwgroup.com (in German)