Audi is following other automakers into the energy market, with an experiment to link its vehicles to the energy grid, to create a ‘virtual power plant (VPP) that can be dynamically sold to utilities. It comes as EVs threaten to erode the profit margins of the automakers, and they are collectively looking at service offerings to help recapture some of the anticipated losses from future sales. Electric vehicles (EV) or plug-in hybrids (PHEV), will be remotely controlled so they can take on excess electricity from the gird during periods of low demand, and discharge it when there is sufficient demand on the network. Automakers are searching for additional revenue streams from potentially low margin EVs, and monetizing spare battery capacity…