SolarEdge’s new bidirectional DC-coupled electric vehicle (EV) charger enables vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid applications and can be seamlessly integrated into home energy systems. It is scheduled to be released in the second half of 2024.
The Israeli-based inverter manufacturer’s DC-coupled architecture enables electric electric cars to be charged simultaneously directly from solar energy, home battery storage and the grid. The charger is connected to single or three-phase inverters via a DC bus circuit that can be overmetered by up to 200%, allowing the EV to be charged with additional PV. The charging/discharging speed of the charger is 12/24 kW and the peak DC-DC efficiency is 99%.
The new charger enables vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services powered by solar energy. It will be commercially available in the second half of 2024.
V2G applications enable automatic charging and discharging of an electric car battery based on dynamic prices. In this way, homeowners can receive payments from their electricity supplier by discharging stored electric car battery power back into the grid during demand situations.
In addition, users can use the EV battery to back up their home during power outages, demonstrating the V2H application. The battery capacity is up to 50 kWh.
“The charger is compatible with both 400V and 800V EVs via a standard CSS connector,” Solar Edge said in a statement.
The dimensions of the device are 620 mm x 340 mm x 200 mm, the weight is 22 kg and it has a 7 meter cable. It can operate in temperatures from -30 C to 50 C and has an IP-65 protected housing for indoor and outdoor use.
