EV charging provider Wallbox will offer bidirectional chargers for residential customers in the US states of California and Connecticut.
Through a partnership with EV software platform provider Bidirectional Energy, Wallbox will offer a pilot scheme to 180 homes which will link its 12.48kW Quasar 2 charger with Bidirectional Energy’s virtual power plant (VPP) software platform. Participants must own or lease a Kia EV9 to be eligible.
The scheme – which the companies claimed was the first “multi-state” bidirectional charging program in North America – would allow the 180 customers to use their EVs as “flexible home energy resources” for backup power capacity or to export power to the grid.
The firms claimed that participants could save up to US$8,800 in California and US$10,800 in Connecticut for charger and cable installation costs and up to US$1,500 and US$1,350 in grid support earnings in the two respective states.
“Bidirectional charging holds the potential to transform how people use and manage energy at home,” said Douglas Alfaro, chief business development officer at Wallbox.
Bidirectional Energy added: “As utility rates continue to climb and power outages become a more common occurrence, bidirectional charging can give homeowners more independence and control over their energy usage.”
Frances Bell, CEO of Bidirectional Energy, said: “Opening this program through a partnership with Wallbox helps us bring this innovative technology to everyday consumers—in a way that is simple to enrol, valuable to use, and ready to scale.”
Along with more established residential energy storage systems, parts of the US and other countries are increasingly moving towards bidirectional and V2G charging infrastructure to support grids, provide flexible energy storage and reduce residential demand on the distribution network.
Earlier this month, Wallbox itself announced its first bidirectional residential chargers in California; six Quasar 2 charging stations were installed in Manifee, California, as part of a trial with Kia America and the University of California, Irvine. The company also entered into an agreement with VPP software platform Leap to launch a VPP programme aimed at Wallbox customers in California and New York.
The Maryland Public Service Commission also introduced V2G interconnection rules in a unanimous vote in June based on recommendations from the US Vehicle-Grid Integration Council (VGIC), a member-based advocacy group.
Elsewhere, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) issued a national roadmap for V2G uptake this year, and last year the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) funded a V2G technology trial to find cheaper options for bidirectional and V2G charging.