Wallbox recently announced a partnership with Bidirectional Energy, a software platform for bidirectional EV energy management. By working together, the companies managed to get funding from the highly competitive CEC REDWDS grant. When it comes to products, Wallbox and Bidirectional Energy will use this funding and partnership to introduce the Quasar 2, which is not only Wallbox’s second-generation DC bidirectional charger, but also features a bidirectional EV charger management platform.
“We’re excited to work with Bidirectional Energy and the CEC to accelerate the development and deployment of bidirectional charging to quickly respond to dynamic grid signals. Bidirectional charging can offer long-term benefits to users, grid operators, and utilities and will accelerate the transition to California renewable energy sources,” said Brett Graessle, Wallbox VP of Global Partnerships and Business Development.
The Quasar 2 is an 11.5kW bidirectional charger. It allows users to not only charge the vehicle, but also discharge their EV to power their home or send energy back to the grid. By partnering with both of these companies, EV owners can gain access to utility and governmental V2G programs and get some money back. On average, this kind of a setup enables EVs to power a typical household’s energy consumption for up to four days, eliminating the need for costly home battery systems.
To promote the development of programs like this, the Clean Transportation Program by the California Energy Commission (CEC) provides up to $100 million of funding. One of the initiatives, the REDWDS (Responsive, Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals) grant, aims to accelerate the development and deployment of user-friendly charging products.
Bidirectional Energy and Wallbox successfully applied for Phase 1 funding of $2.2M from the CEC Clean Transportation Program, and this was only after a highly competitive process. Once the awards are fully confirmed, this partnership will enable not only the development of the charging system, but also the deployment of Quasar 2 bidirectional chargers in residential homes across California.
This will benefit people in the state in a variety of ways. The Bidirectional Energy platform offers EV owners a way to save money on their monthly utility bill through participation in vehicle-to-grid programs. By saving up energy collected from the grid during off-peak hours (when it’s cheaper) and putting it back on the grid when it’s more expensive, drivers can save a few bucks. Perhaps more importantly, the bidirectional system makes it possible for homeowners to have power even during outages.
“Bidirectional EVs are critical to solving the massive scalability challenges facing the US electric grid. We are excited to partner with Wallbox to get bidirectional chargers installed in people’s homes, and help EV owners earn passive income by selling energy from their idle EV batteries. Together, we’ll leverage EVs to make our power grid more reliable and reduce total carbon emissions on the grid,” said Angela Zhang, CEO of Bidirectional Energy.
The success of the project could lead to additional funding for the deployment of bidirectional chargers across California for another three years, so hopefully they get it right and impress the state!
Featured image by Wallbox and Kia.
