Kia offers bidirectional charging in the US
The vehicle-to-home (V2H) service will initially be available in seven states, namely in California, Washington, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey and Illinois. “A nationwide rollout will follow,” says Kia.
The Quasar 2 offers up to 12 kW of power for EV charging and discharging. Together with the corresponding Power Recovery Unit, it will be available for $6,440. The number of available chargers is limited, however, the carmaker does not say how many units will be sold.
“We’re thrilled to open pre-order availability of the innovative Quasar 2 charger, including the Power Recovery Unit, to eligible Kia EV9 drivers,” said Enric Asunción, CEO of Wallbox. “This cutting-edge technology allows eligible EV9 owners and lessees to take control of their energy usage and costs, while also providing backup power during power outages.”
Kia also recently started to offer smart charging in the Netherlands. Via the Smart Charge app, customers can schedule their EV to charge when energy is cheap. Here, too, the carmaker wants to introduce its V2H offer later this year.
But back to the US: Kia America and Wallbox first announced their partnership in 2023. The Quasar 2 was initially supposed to be available starting in the first half of 2024.
Wallbox is based in Barcelona, Spain. It was founded in 2015 and has offices in Europe, Asia and America. The company is also Fisker’s and Nissan’s home charging partner in the US. The Quasar, the predecessor of the Quasar 2, was first introduced at the CES in January 2020 in Las Vegas.
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