The Smarter E Europe: Launch of Special Exhibit on Bidirectional Charging – the Energy Transition Gains Traction

MUNICH & PFORZHEIM, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 22, 2025--

Electricity from renewable sources has become the new normal – in Germany alone, around 60 percent of net electricity generation came from renewables in 2024. But the growing volume of green power is posing new challenges for energy supply: The integration into the existing system urgently requires more flexibility. A Euroelectric/EY study forecasts a doubling of daily European flexibility demand by 2030 compared to 2021, potentially reaching 1.8 TWh daily (137 TWh annually), a substantial rise from the prior 1.5 TWh weekly demand. Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are identified as a key flexibility solution, potentially offering around 116 TWh capacity within five years.

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Dr. Frank Spennemann, Senior Manager Charging Solutions Energy at Mercedes-Benz, has a clear view of the importance of bidirectional charging, particularly vehicle-to-grid technology, for the success of the energy transition: “Research simulations have shown that bidirectional vehicles are key for grid stability and the transition to renewable sources of energy.” In France, a collaboration between Renault, a car manufacturer, and The Mobility House has launched a scheme enabling electricity customers to make their vehicle batteries available as grid-serving electricity storage systems in exchange for free charging. Marcus Fendt, Managing Director of The Mobility House, explains: “EV batteries are the most convenient storage option because the average car parking time is 23 hours per day. The average daily distance travelled by car in Germany is 36 kilometers. This corresponds to an energy consumption of around 8 kWh, or even less for very efficient e-cars.”

Today’s technology for tomorrow’s world

At the special exhibit on bidirectional charging, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about available components and solutions, to get a glimpse of the future and to talk to leading industry players. The special exhibit can be found in hall C6, right next to the Power2Drive Forum, on all three exhibition days. Exhibits and live demos will show how vehicle-to-X technology works in practice, be it vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-building, vehicle-to-load or vehicle-to-home. Through lectures and discussions, attendees will be able to get first-hand expert information on how bidirectional charging will change our energy system and which developments will shape its future. The special exhibit will also showcase inspiring projects and practical examples from Germany, Europe and across the world.

Forums and guided tours

One of the hot topics at The smarter E Europe exhibition forums will be bidirectional charging: Various aspects of vehicle-to-X technologies will be examined in seven sessions with high-carat speakers; five of these sessions will be part of the Power2Drive Forum. On all three exhibition days, the organizers will be offering guided tours during which industry experts will provide. The guided tours start from the info counter at the special exhibit on bidirectional charging at 11:30am and 3:30pm on all three days.

Special exhibit with strong support

The collaborative partners of the special exhibit on bidirectional charging contribute technical expertise and a wide range and in-depth insights. The organizers are delighted about the collaboration with E-Mobility Europe and Eurelectric, the European industry associations, the Research Center for Energy Economics (FfE), Lade GmbH, the National Center for Charging Infrastructure, Smart Energy Europe and The Mobility House. Sigenergy and Bi-CCS are sponsoring the event.

A special exhibition at The smarter E Europe is dedicated to bidirectional charging. ©Solar Promotion GmbH

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua’s Interior Ministry said Saturday the country would release dozens of prisoners, as the United States ramped up pressure on leftist President Daniel Ortegaa week after it ousted former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua said Venezuela had taken an important step toward peace by releasing what it described as “political prisoners.” But it lamented that in Nicaragua, “more than 60 people remain unjustly detained or disappeared, including pastors, religious workers, the sick, and the elderly.”

On Saturday, the Interior Ministry said in a statement that “dozens of people who were in the National Penitentiary System are returning to their homes and families.”

It wasn’t immediately clear who was freed and under what conditions. Nicaragua’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The government has been carrying out an ongoing crackdown since mass social protests in 2018, that were violently repressed.

Nicaragua’s government has imprisoned adversaries, religious leaders, journalists and more, then exiled them, stripping hundreds of their Nicaraguan citizenship and possessions. Since 2018, it has shuttered more than 5,000 organizations, largely religious, and forced thousands to flee the country. Nicaragua’s government often accused critics and opponents of plotting against the government.

In recent years, the government has released hundreds of imprisoned political opponents, critics and activists. It stripped them of Nicaraguan citizenship and sent them to other countries like the U.S. and Guatemala. Observers have called it an effort to wash its hands of its opposition and offset international human rights criticism. Many of those Nicaraguans were forced into a situation of "statelessness."

Saturday on X, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs again slammed Nicaragua’s government. “Nicaraguans voted for a president in 2006, not for an illegitimate lifelong dynasty,” it said. “Rewriting the Constitution and crushing dissent will not erase the Nicaraguans’ aspirations to live free from tyranny.”

Danny Ramírez-Ayérdiz, executive-secretary of the Nicaraguan human rights organization CADILH, said he had mixed feelings about the releases announced Saturday.

“On the one hand, I’m glad. All political prisoners suffer some form of torture. But on the other hand, I know these people will continue to be harassed, surveilled and monitored by the police, and so will their families.”

Ramírez-Ayérdiz said the liberation of the prisoners is a response to pressure exerted by the United States. “There is surely a great deal of fear within the regime that the U.S. might completely dismantle it,” he said.

FILE - Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega waves after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro for a third term at the National Assembly in Caracas, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)