Audi's Vehicle-to-Home technology allows EVs to power our homes
What's the story
German automaker Audi, in partnership with Hager Group, has developed a bi-directional charging solution that allows electric cars to power home grids. Dubbed as Vehicle to Home, this technology allows EVs to charge via the regular wall boxes and give the stored energy back to the home in an efficient manner as and when required. Here are more details.
Efficient supply
Audi's Vehicle to Home technology does not require an inverter
In Audi's test, the e-tron charged via a DC wall box with a charging capacity of up to 12kW and was able to supply power to a home storage unit with a capacity of 9kW. According to the automaker, the connection between the home grid and the e-tron didn't require an inverter due to the DC voltage level, making it a pretty efficient solution.
Use cases
The system is useful for customers who have solar panels
The Vehicle to Home technology will be particularly useful for customers who have a photovoltaic system (solar power system). The electric car will be able to store home-generated electricity while the sun is shining and supply the stored power back to the house at night. According to Audi, the technology will be helpful in reducing electricity costs and increase network stability.
Previous trials
Nissan is also working on this bi-directional technology
In 2017, Nissan did a similar trial in Denmark. Those who bought a Nissan electric car were offered a vehicle-to-grid charger that allowed them to charge their EV's battery at home and supply back the power to their home storage unit when the car was not in use. This project was later expanded to the UK and is still being pursued by the company.
Information
However, this system could degrade the batteries faster
While the Vehicle to Home technology sounds promising, it has an issue. Some experts believe the vehicle-to-home charging accelerates the degradation of an EV's battery. Hence, people might have to replace their batteries more frequently.