Mercedes pays German drivers for every hour an EV stays plugged in

Mercedes-Benz has put a German price on leaving a private electric car plugged in. The bundle is called MB.Charge Home Pro Intelligent: an 11 kW bidirectional direct-current wallbox, the company's Intelligent Pro Eco tariff, and the Charge Home app, which shows charging, energy sent back, and the credits. Vehicle-to-grid service, the return of energy from the car to the electricity network, starts on the all-electric GLC and the new C-Class, and only in Germany.

pv magazine identified the box as the ChargeLine BiDi, built by The Mobility House with EcoG and Zhejiang EV-Tech, and described the hardware as non-proprietary. The list price is 2,990 euros. The first 500 customers pay 1,990 euros through the end of March 2027. pv magazine also reported a 250 euro public-charging credit for those first customers. Electrive reported that the car and the wallbox use ISO 15118-20, the standard that negotiates a bidirectional charging session. The VLE, GLA, EQS, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLB are named for a later over-the-air update, not for day one. A unidirectional home tariff Mercedes introduced in September only shifts charging toward cheaper hours. It does not export.

The credit is for staying connected. Electrive reported that every hour on the wallbox is paid, whether the car is charging, discharging or idle. At the company's 12-hour-a-day example, WELT and ecomento reported more than 500 euros a year. WELT reported no daily, monthly or annual cap, which it contrasted with some other offers. pv magazine put the rate at 11.75 euro cents for every connected hour, which over 12 hours a day for a year comes to about 514 euros and fits the company's "more than 500". It is a payment for availability, not a published export price per kilowatt-hour. The energy company runs the session. The owner chooses how long the car is offered. Near 500 euros a year clears the 1,990 euro introductory box in about four years and the 2,990 euro list price in about six, if the bonus holds. Ecomento's four-year payback matches the introductory price, not the list price, and WELT noted that the company's figure leaves out installation and any extra equipment. The launch notes do not say how much energy is cycled, so battery wear cannot be judged from them.

pv magazine Deutschland reported that the first wave is only for households without a photovoltaic system. A house with rooftop solar is outside the offer for now, even with an eligible car on the drive. pv magazine gave the reason: such households could lose their feed-in payments under the renewable energy act, because the car's battery cannot yet be cleanly separated into solar and grid electricity. The same reporting says grid operators have until the end of September 2027 to implement the Federal Network Agency's MiSpeL metering decision. WELT added an intelligent electricity meter and the Mercedes tariff to the shopping list, beside the compatible car and the direct-current wallbox. Mercedes has said it plans the service in other countries. The German reports do not give those dates or prices. The useful check is ordinary. Match the car to the electric GLC or the new C-Class, not to a model still waiting on software. Then put 1,990 or 2,990 euros next to a bonus that accrues only while the car is plugged in.