A bi-directional EV charger, also known as vehicle to the home charger, allows your home to use the electric vehicle’s battery as a power backup source. Enphase, a maker of microinverters and battery storage, has revealed its new two-way EV charging device.
It is possible to have a bidirectional charger for electric vehicles. It can draw energy from the grid or home solar panels and send energy stored in the car battery back to the home or the grid. This is in contrast to the standard EV charger, which only takes energy and not gives any back.
Enphase has labeled its new device a “game-changer.” The company designed their bi-directional EV charger to be compatible with most electric vehicles that use CCS (Combined Charging System) and CHAdeMO (CHArge de MOve) standards as well as for other functions besides charging.
- Vehicle-to-home (V2H): An EV can be used as an extended home battery during power outages. When the Enphase Energy System detects an outage, it isolates the home from the grid and instructs the bidirectional charger to discharge the EV battery to power the house.
- Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) – Homeowners are allowed to participate in programs with their utility, where they share the energy from the EV battery with the grid and get paid for it.
- Green charging– Lets homeowners use the bidirectional charger to power the home when high utility rates are high.
The “Black start” feature
The “Black Start” feature is an ability that allows a power grid to restart itself without any external power source. This feature is beneficial as it allows electricity to be restored more quickly after blackouts.
The Enphase device is equipped with blackout capabilities that allow it to function in the event of an outage, regardless of whether the EV is already connected or not. This is possible because of the “black start” feature, which is a battery within the charger that enables communication to begin upon connection to the device.
Enphase advertises its bidirectional charger to transform any EV into a power source. However, it needs to be more accurate since the vehicle must also be equipped with V2H and V2G capabilities.
This Enphase-specific system will differ from the other two-way devices available or due to be released soon. IQ8 microinverters are installed inside the charger. This system will work with Ensemble energy management technology and be built into Enphase home energy systems. Homeowners can then control their solar, battery storage, and EV charging from the Enphase app.
When and how much?
Enphase has stated that they are collaborating with standards organizations, EV producers, and regulators to launch it in the market during the upcoming year. No information was given as to which market would be the first to receive it. No pricing details have been revealed yet, but it is expected to be costly. Bi-directional charges are generally expensive, around $1,500 upfront, depending on the brand. However, this could change when there are more options released.
Enphase Energy recently unveiled its first branded EV charging station, but the company already had a good amount of experience after acquiring ClipperCreek in 2020. This acquisition was a part of their plan to bring bi-directional charging technology to V2H and V2G applications.
For a more thorough examination of the new device, read Enphase’s white paper on the bi-directional charger.
[…] EV chargers exist, such as level 1 chargers, level 2 chargers, and DC fast chargers. There are also bi-directional EV charging from Enphase that can make your home a power backup […]