Polestar is Working on Bidirectional Charging for Next-Gen Vehicles
Polestar has announced the delivery schedule of four vehicles and has placed two vehicles in production. Their latest vehicle, the Polestar 6, will hit the road in 2026. Indeed, their vehicles’ design and performance make the brand successful. However, the EV carmaker has something brewing that could be groundbreaking in today’s electric vehicle industry.
During the annual Quail automotive gathering during the Monterey Car Week, the CEO of Polestar, Thomas Ingenlath, stated that the design of their vehicles has always been crucial for their brand. But today, they are now looking beyond the design.
“Our cars have to be able in the future to enable the type of experience of being in control and having that ride experience. But, at the same time having that comfort feature of switching off (as a driver) and becoming a more integrated part of an autonomous drive,” Ingenlath said.
Better energy solutions from Polestar are coming
Being sustainable on the road is crucial, and that’s the primary goal of Polestar. But Ingenlath sees huge potential in parked EVs. Recently, the company announced that bidirectional charging is coming to their vehicles, which will be seen in the next-generation EVs they will release.
How does this work?
A Polestar vehicle will be able to send energy back into the grid, which will help reduce the energy bills of the EV owner. Moreover, this will sustain the system’s integrity during peak usage. This is important when a house has solar panels and is producing more energy than the house is using. To support this, the car can serve as a backup battery when necessary.
This presents not only an excellent solution for homeowners today, but this can be a community solution as well.
For those who still have to commute to get around, Polestar sees a future in which vehicles will offer automated driving. Polestar envisions a future that will enable the experience of being in control while getting that driving experience—at the same time, having the ability to switch off as the driver and be a part of an autonomous drive.
In fact, the Polestar 3 SUV supports this concept via its lidar sensor that will be able to support a hands-free driver assistance system.
It’s true that autonomous driving is still far ahead in the future for consumer vehicles, but Polestar is already making moves to outfit its upcoming vehicles with multiple sensors.
All about bi-directional charging
Bi-directional charging can become so big that it could change the way Australians live and your energy bills forever. As the name implies, bi-directional allows a two-way flow of electricity into an out of an EV. It’s a smart process that can help you save money on energy bills and, at the same time, give you the opportunity to sell excess energy back to the grid.
EVs take AC electricity from the grid and convert it to DC electricity. This can be done via a converter inside the car or a converter in the EV charger. Now, if you want to use bidirectional charging by sending energy back into the grid or your home, then you will need a bidirectional charger with an internal converter that can convert DC to AC.
If you think about it, EVs are big batteries but come with wheels. Many people don’t realise that cars spend approximately 95 per cent parked and not in use. And Polestar sees this an opportunity to use the EVs ability to store and send excess energy back to the grid through bidirectional charging.
This can work by letting the EV charge during off-peak periods and sending the energy it produces back to the grid during peak periods.
Then, there is also the ability of EVs to send energy to your home. If wind or solar is used to power the EV, there is a chance to power both the vehicle and the house FOR FREE. What you can do here is to charge your EV during the day when it’s sunny and bright and then use that power for the next few nights or on cloudy days.
More Polestar 2 for rent in Australia
Last week, Hertz’s agencies in Australia received the first 100 Polestar 2s amid the 65,000 Polestar EVs purchase that was announced earlier this year. In late 2022 or early 2023, Australia is also expected to receive Polestar 3 SUV units.
So far, the Polestar 2 model has been the best-selling EV model in the country during June, which recorded 201 units sold, only a bit behind the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Kona.
The VP of Hertz, Eoin Macneill, also said that they have plans to add hundreds more Polestars.
“We’ve gone in early on EVs as a company and we want to be famous for that and lead the charge. We’ve landed 100 Polestars and we’ve got plans to add hundreds more,” Macneill said.
They are continuously working through their partnership with Polestar, which provides them with more allocation for Australia.
Earlier this year, Hertz agreed to buy 65,000 EVs from Polestar over the next five years to expand its electric fleet. Hertz’s Polestar 2s are currently available for rent in:
- Adelaide
- Canberra
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Brisbane
- Hobart
- Launceston
With the introduction of the Polestar 2 to the local Hertz fleet, it will let Australians become even more acquainted with an EV without the need to purchase one YET. Many of Hertz’s customers will be able to first experience an electric vehicle by renting a Polestar 2 from them.
As Australia becomes more conscious of the environment, Hertz continues to prioritise providing its customers with an opportunity to travel more sustainably.
Energy Matters has over 17 years of experience in the solar industry and has helped over 40,000 Australian households in their journey to energy independence.
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