Charing station manufacturer Wallbox (NYSE: WBX) has introduced a new generation of its bidirectional home charger for the North American market.

In service areas that offer time-of-use rates, EV owners can schedule charging sessions at times when rates are low and discharge their car battery to power their home when rates are high. Users with solar panels can also store excess energy in their EVs during low usage periods and discharge it at other times. (All vehicle-to-home applications require an EV capable of bidirectional charging.)

Quasar 2 retains the functionality of its predecessor, Quasar, and is even more powerful, offering 11.5 kW/48 amps of power for charging and discharging. It also adds a new feature called Blackout Mode, which allows an EV to be used as an emergency power source in power outages.

“Bidirectional charging opens up numerous opportunities for smarter energy management in the home,” said Enric Asunción, co-founder and CEO of Wallbox. “Not only does Quasar 2 allow us to rethink the way we produce, store and use energy on a day-to-day basis, it has the potential to [allow] users to power their homes for over three days during a power outage.”

“The average American experienced more than eight hours of power interruption in 2020,” said Douglas Alfaro, General Manager of Wallbox North America. “With Blackout Mode, we are able to offer EV owners some relief by helping mitigate the impact of a major energy disruption in the home.”

Source: Wallbox