Volvo Cars launches Energy Solutions and prepares for bi-directional charging
Volvo Cars Energy Solutions was born
Not only cars but also services. The four-wheel industry is increasingly diversifying its offer to meet new market needs. Volvo Cars demonstrates this well with today’s launch of its new business unit, the Energy Solution.
The division was created with the aim of offering technologies and services related to energy storage and charging of electric vehicles. With an eye always on smart solutions. Let’s talk, for example, about bidirectional charging, a technology that allows electric car batteries to return unused energy to the grid, helping to balance demand during peak hours. Obviously for a fee.
Volvo has already designed the first vehicle that can adapt to this technology. The SUV EX90 full electric will be the first car of the brand to boast all the hardware and (over time) software needed to allow two-way charging and direct storage of solar energy. Not only. Together with Göteborg Energi Nät, the automaker is launching one of the first Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot programs to test these technologies on the local energy network and in a home environment with real customers. The initiative aims, among other things, to create a testing arena for new technologies outside the protected environment of laboratories.
Open doors to V2G, V2H and V2L at Volvo
“With bidirectional charging, you can use your car’s battery as an additional energy source, for example, to power your home, other electrical devices, or another electric Volvo,” said Alexander Petrofski, the new head of Volvo Cars Energy Solutions. “The next step would be to enable this functionality throughout Sweden, and it is hoped that this will pave the way for an even wider acceptance of similar energy charging and storage services across Europe”.
But the V2G is just one of the options part of the future Volvo Cars Energy Solutions offering. The company reveals that it is also evaluating Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) products that allow you to provide energy to your home and reduce your bill, using the battery of your car as a storage system on demand. And Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) services where the e-car battery powers external loads from camping equipment to electric bikes.
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“Over time, we expect Volvo Cars Energy Solutions to generate significant new revenue each year from energy-related services, as well as new products previously not offered by Volvo Cars […] adding value to our core business, to the daily life of our customers and the environment”.
