Know which EV models allow it

First and foremost, not every EV out there can work properly with an EV charger. Currently there’s only two options as of mid-2022 that offer this capability. These are the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi plug in models. 

That doesn’t mean every type of these models will be compatible with bidirectional EV charging, and it will only be related to the ones that are later models. So that means those Tesla owners are currently out of luck. Newer EV models will be joining the fold and becoming compatible with bidirectional EV chargers but there isn’t any schedule that can be followed. 

Understand how it works

The next topic is to know what two ways charging or bidirectional charging looks like. Basically, where is the excess energy going to go? There’s two major ways this works, and both will benefit you substantially, especially when it comes to your bank account. 

Vehicle to Home 

Commonly being abbreviated as V2H, this is where your EV charger becomes a charger for the home. This passes through your EV battery to any type of building, or house of your choice. The electrical engineering behind it is that the EV itself acts as a converter of electricity from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). 

Vehicle to Grid

Here we’re talking about the same process as above, but this time your bidirectional EV charger is utilising the EV to push power back into the electrical grid. This has your car working as an oversized power source that can be redistributed back to the grid as needed. This means you can take green energy sources and use the cars as electrical storage systems

These are most effective due to the fact that you can store and charge your power during the off-peak hours, where electricity is cheaper, and then have the EVs provide energy ‘off’ the main grid during peak hours, reducing peak consumption, saving money and not putting a stress on the overall grid. 

Understand which EV chargers to use 

Just like not all EVs are ready for bidirectional charging, not all EV chargers are ready either. Yet there are more and more coming on the market, since this is ending up becoming a lucrative and sustainable business model. Wallbox is the first to make a bidirectional EV charger called the Quasar. 

They’ve since been able to redesign their latest model the Quasar 2, to work specifically with the intention of being a bidirectional EV charger. Keep in mind this isn’t ready for sale yet. 

Local based Rectifier Technologies is working on their own bidirectional EV charger as well. Both models will theoretically work in the simple format of being able to convert the energy and push it back to the grid or the home. 

There’s a new contender on the block from Ford, but this model will require auxiliary equipment to help with the process of pushing the electricity either to the grid or to the home / building. This might seem excessive but will enable more flexibility. Compatible EVs are soon to follow as well. 

Understand the costs

Yes, unfortunately since this isn’t a standard or streamlined process yet, and its still in its infancy, there’s a lot of costs that are associated with it. First you’ll need an EV that’s capable of it and when you consider an EV towards a traditionally powered car, EVs tend to be priced into the mid to high tiered pricing. 

Then you’re going to need to get the right bidirectional EV charger installed. The current one on the market right now if you wanted it today is the Wallbox option which can run several thousand dollars. 

Eventually, you won’t need to pay for electricity

If you’re already taking advantage of green electricity and have enabled solar power or wind power into your home, with the added benefit of a bidirectional charger, you’ll be well on your way to becoming completely energy independent. 

You’ll have no need to be connected to a grid as photovoltaic panels continue to become more efficient year over year, and any excess energy you produce can be stored into your gigantic battery that also acts as an EV. 

As more continue to accept this as a new normal in the car and energy industries, we’ll start to see the initial price points of these bidirectional chargers drastically drop. 

We’ll also open the doors to enable more efficiency and minimal loss of energy with these bidirectional EV chargers and the EV models that are able will also increase. There are already instances with a full investment into green energy that you’ll easily be able to sell that electricity back to the power company as an energy supplier, when you’re not using it, during into passive income anyway. 

In the end

If you were still considering going down this route, now you’ve probably made the shift towards getting yourself the right type of EV charging setup with a bidirectional EV charging station. With that said, it’s a great idea to work with local experts that can help to ensure not only the bidirectional EV charging station is correctly installed, but also that it’ll be properly hooked up to either the electrical grid or to your home. 

That’s why you should take the time to reach out to us here and we’ll be glad to speak with you about your options, and how you can start selling electricity back.