On 20 May, two expert groups of the European Commission — the Smart Energy Expert Group and the Sustainable Transport Forum — alongside the European Coalition of the Willing on Bi-Directional Charging, established by Germany, have presented a comprehensive set of recommendations to simplify data exchange for flexibility, smart charging, and bi-directional charging.
Over the past 18 months, experts from these three groups have collaborated intensively to develop recommendations that will:
- Enable consumers to contribute flexibility and smart/bi-directional charging to the energy system more easily,
- Help companies offer such services competitively within the European market.
Simplifying flexibility provision is critical to integrate higher shares of renewables, reduce dependence on volatile gas and oil markets, lower costs for consumers using electric vehicles or heat pumps.
This initiative represents a European milestone, as all key stakeholders from the electricity and e-mobility sectors have agreed on a shared direction for market organisation, and common interoperability requirements (including standards, digital identity, operating principles, and governance).
The recommendations extend beyond electric vehicles to create a framework for data exchange that also covers heat pumps, storage, and other flexible assets. The Joint Report was presented at a high-level meeting hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
The final, indexed report and its annexes will be officially published in the coming days.
The Joint Report lays the foundation for concrete implementation steps, and experts will continue discussions on further details and next actions.
