Sector coupling: Full power

In order to supply as many areas as possible with renewable energy in the sense of an All Electric Society, sectors must be considered together and restructured accordingly. This is particularly effective in the interaction between energy generation and mobility.

By Michael Neißendorfer

In order for Germany to stay on track with its climate targets, the share of renewable energies in the electricity, heating, and transport sectors must increase significantly – while the consumption of fossil fuels must be reduced as much as possible. A key challenge is to link the energy and transport sectors intelligently and efficiently. How this can succeed is the main subject of the VDE ETG short study “Charged with Energy into the Future”, presented in November.

Germany is already on the threshold of the mass market for electric mobility. The question is no longer if, but how quickly electric vehicles will prevail. Currently, nearly one in five newly registered cars in Germany is an electric vehicle. New registrations in the first three quarters of 2025 rose by almost 40 percent to around 380,000 – while the overall market slightly declined.

"Customers must be able to charge anytime and anywhere – and as easily as possible." – Dr. Stefanie Wolff, Specialist for Future Drives & Electromobility at the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

| Franz Josef

Despite all discussions about phasing out combustion engines, the industry expects continued positive market dynamics: “The German automotive industry is focusing on investments and innovations. The IAA Mobility just demonstrated that we stand for maximum quality, safety, efficiency, and strong brands. We have done our homework – now politics must address the framework conditions so that e-mobility becomes a success story,” says Dr. Stefanie Wolff, Advisor for Future Drives & E-Mobility at the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).

However, it is not just the automotive industry and politics that are called upon. A central task lies with energy providers to make power grids fit for e-mobility. Here, regenerative generation and intelligent energy distribution are the major challenges, as Armin Gaul, Head of Products & Marketing at Westenergie Netzservice GmbH, explains: “Depending on the season, Germany can largely supply itself with renewable energy generated domestically – which also significantly reduces some of the dependencies we still have today. The idea of producing most of the energy within the country – and at calculable, low costs – is appealing,” says Gaul.

At the intersection of the transport and energy sectors, the charging station, entirely new business models have already emerged within the charging infrastructure sector. These are developing rapidly – but are also “crushed by bureaucracy and reporting obligations, such as lengthy approval processes and calibration laws,” criticizes Dr. Stefanie Wolff from the VDA. “After submitting an application for a grid connection for a large charging park, one often waits years for a response. And then it’s often just a ‘no.’” What is needed are binding rules and specific deadlines that must be met, as well as consequences, if a deadline is missed. “It cannot continue like this,” Wolff urges, calling for faster progress in the expansion.

Armin Gaul is familiar with these issues and would also like to see a bit more pragmatism, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find investors for projects in Germany, and the projects themselves are becoming more complex. “If we want to make e-mobility possible for 83 million people, we need less bureaucracy to speed up processes,” he says. “We spend far too much time discussing what could go wrong instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting started.”

With bidirectional charging, electric cars can actively participate in the energy market. BMW Group and E.ON launched a corresponding offering in September 2025.

| BMW AG

The VDE also calls for more decisive action in its study so that Germany can take a leading role in linking mobility and energy, and thus achieve greater climate protection. The climate advantage of e-cars is undeniable: today, electric cars already have a better climate footprint than combustion vehicles after about 30,000 kilometers. After 150,000 kilometers, an e-car has caused 24 tons of CO2, compared to 40 tons for a gasoline car, according to the study. E-mobility can also make the power grid more climate-friendly: if e-vehicles are charged strategically when otherwise curtailed surpluses of renewable energy feed into the grid, up to five percent of Germany’s electricity consumption could be supplied with green power instead of fossil energy by 2030.

"We focus far too much on what could go wrong – instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting started." – Armin Gaul, Head of Products & Marketing at Westenergie Netzservice GmbH

| Innogy/ Joerg Mettlach

In general, the topic of flexibility—and using it cleverly—is crucial for the success of the energy and propulsion transition, says Armin Gaul. He adds: “For this, we need to move away from the previous idea that all consumption points must always be supplied at full power simultaneously. Uncontrolled, simultaneous charging of electric cars would require a dramatic expansion of the grid. However, if charging is intelligently managed, even today’s grids can provide the capacity needed for e-mobility.”

And those who use these flexibilities and electricity price fluctuations strategically can turn them into profits – whether as private or commercial electricity consumers, or as companies with a corresponding business model. End customers can save on charging costs, for example, by shifting the charging of their e-cars to times with lower electricity prices, automated with the help of appropriate software and apps.

However, especially for public charging, one must first navigate the tariff confusion, explains Wolff, who sees urgent need for action here: “Customers must be able to charge anytime and anywhere—and as easily as possible. Clear legal requirements are needed for greater price transparency and better regulation of cross-provider charging, so-called roaming.”

Work also needs to be done on the visibility and availability of charging options at locations where cars are parked for longer periods; besides underground garages and garages of large residential buildings, this includes workplaces and supermarkets. Gaul adds that a change in mindset is necessary, as better utilization of these parking times would be a huge lever for the energy transition. “An e-car needs only about 7 kWh of electricity per day and is parked for more than 20 hours. And it’s not a revolution—it’s already common practice to stagger charging sessions through load management systems.”

Intelligence instead of copper—that is, more digitalization and only targeted grid expansion where necessary—would be an important common denominator. The energy transition is not decided solely at the power plant, PV system, wind turbine, or in the car—but in the intelligent interaction of all systems.