Two-way charging technology: The scepter for electric vehicles to take over

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic downturn, the outlook for electric vehicles (EVs) remains promising thanks to the rapid pace of innovation. Fast charging, connected cars and smart charging are just a few of the technologies that have driven electric vehicle adoption worldwide in recent years. But it makes us wonder: What will be the next batch of big innovations that will drive demand for electric vehicles in the future?

After thoroughly analyzing a number of exciting innovations, experts at Wallbox Team have identified two key technologies that they believe will have the greatest impact on accelerating electric vehicle adoption.

What is two-way charging technology?

Bidirectional charging technology allows energy to flow both ways: from the grid (charging station) into the car, and from the car back into the grid (V2G) or to your home (V2H). This offers a major breakthrough in charging technology compared to traditional DC charging technology that can only power your car.

Previously, this technology was only used in specific pilot projects, because of the high cost and large scale of this charging technology. Now, thanks to major improvements, two-way chargers are increasingly affordable, smaller and more efficient, making them a perfect fit for owners. In fact, Wallbox became the first company to introduce a two-way charger for the home  earlier this year, with the product quickly becoming one of the most talked about technologies at CES  and other conferences other technology. Here's what makes this technology so appealing:

+Facilitate the transition to more electric vehicles and cleaner energy

What makes bidirectional charging truly impactful is its ability to facilitate our transition to a more sustainable future with more renewable energy, 75% of respondents said. and more electric vehicles operating. As electric car expert Gill Nowell put it: ” Bi-directional charging will be an important part of the cross-charging trend connecting electric vehicles to the local power grid, or to the home-scale power grid .

To put it more clearly, with two-way charging technology, electric vehicles will receive electricity from the charging station to operate. In some emergency situations, electric vehicles can provide energy back to the station, or the vehicle can can supply power to the home power grid if there is a problem, or with charging technology integrated with the vehicle's built-in renewable energy collector, the vehicle battery can store that renewable energy source to power grid, charging station, or home grid depending on the situation.

This comes at a time when more electric vehicles mean more energy consumption and, ultimately, increased pressure on our overall electricity grid. Therefore, bi-directional charging technology helps solve this problem by turning EV batteries into energy storage points that can be used to balance and solve bi-directional power needs depending on the situation requiring back-and-forth charging. . Therefore, electric vehicle batteries can be utilized to capture and store renewable energy as it is generated, and then support powering the general or home grid during times of need. peak electricity usage. This also makes it easier to maximize the use of renewable energy.

Bidirectional charging is also radically changing the way we think about chargers. It has now become a tool that allows electric cars to do much more. Thanks to two-way charging, people can use electric vehicles to:

+Create an emergency power supply when there is a power outage

Thanks to this technology, it helps save or even car owners can make money by selling excess energy to the grid, charging stations, or become self-sufficient in energy by connecting to a renewable energy source. get on their car to the home power grid. As Dan Caesar explains:  “Bidirectional charging is the definition of hybrid thinking for an electric car and the home.”

Thanks to all the advantages explained above, it is no surprise that two-way charging technology will soon explode in the near future as electric vehicles begin to shine. Experts James and Kate  summarize:  “Two-way electric car chargers offer flexibility, financial control and grid balancing. Ultimately, it's a win-win for our planet, the grid, public charging stations and consumers.

Improving battery technology: The key

Battery technology has improved significantly over the past decade, with lithium-ion battery prices falling about 85% between 2010 and 2018. However, battery technology will need to continue to improve to power vehicle models. More affordable electricity with better operating range. This will make electric cars more accessible and appeal to a wider audience. As Ryan Corbett from EV Opinion explains: “Battery efficiency to cost ratio is key. This is the main barrier to mass adoption.”

Kenneth Bokor from the EV Revolution Show agrees: “Battery technology will continue to improve with more energy density per space and less degradation over time. Combine that with faster charging like Ultra-Fast and more, and this creates an ideal choice for consumers.”

The majority of influencers in the electric vehicle industry consider improving battery performance as the technology they are most looking forward to. However, the battery technology of the future will probably be quite different from what we see today. In fact, this article shows that there are currently many different and very promising battery technologies under development.

In the short term, big improvements could be made by cutting back on the use of expensive metal cobalt in lithium-ion battery production. Both General Motors and Tesla recently announced the introduction of lithium-ion batteries based on this principle, claiming that it will lead to electric vehicles achieving much lower costs than fuel-powered cars.

However, in the long term various technologies promise to bring about even more improvements. For example, according to John Goodenough, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, solid-state batteries will be the next big thing. Seth Leitman from The Green Living Guy agrees:  “Sooner or later, solid-state batteries will become the future. I also believe it will be available within the next 10 years, which simply means no moving fluid packed into the battery anymore. That means an EV can go more than 900 miles on a single charge.” However, the technology is still in its infancy and according to BMW, it won't be viable before 2027.

Carlos Sanchez Criado from Movilidad Eléctrica has a different view and envisions “a battery based on graphene or another component that allows for higher energy storage density in the battery.” Mercedes-Benz  has been working on creating organic batteries using graphene, organic cell chemistry and water-based electrolytes, but the company admits that the technology is probably about 15-20 years away from being used in production.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter which battery type prevails – as long as it leads to higher capacity, increased range and lower prices, the electric vehicle industry will get a big boost. certain.

According to Dan Viet