Microinverter and battery storage manufacturer Enphase has provided a first look at its bidirectional EV charging device.
While a standard EV charger can only take energy from the grid or a home’s solar panels to charge an electric vehicle battery, a bidirectional charger can do that and also use energy stored in a car battery and feed it back to the home and/or grid.
Describing it as a “game-changer”, Enphase says its device is expected to work with most electric vehicles supporting standards such as CCS (Combined Charging System) and CHAdeMO (CHArge de MOve). In addition to charging, the Enphase bi-directional charger will support:
- Vehicle-to-home (V2H): Enables the use of an EV as a (very big) home battery system during blackouts.
- Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) – Allows an EV battery to discharge to the mains grid, enabling participation in the provision of grid services (e.g., a Virtual Power Plant – VPP). In V2G mode, energy from the EV battery can also supply the home.
- Green charging – Maximising the use of on-site solar panels for EV charging.
“Black Start” Feature
Regarding its blackout capabilities, the Enphase device will work when the EV is already present and connected when an outage begins, but also in a scenario where the EV isn’t initially connected at the time. This is achieved through a “black start” feature – a small battery within the charger that enables initial communications to begin once connected.
Enphase mentions its bidirectional charger will “turn any EV into a power source”; but that’s not correct as V2H and V2G functionality must also be supported by the vehicle.
You can learn more about V2H, V2G and bidirectional chargers here.
Unlike other bidirectional devices currently or soon to be available, this will be an Enphase-specific system. Stashed inside the charger will be IQ8 microinverters, which we’re *still* yet to see here in Australia as far as I know (but surely shouldn’t be far off). The charger will work in with Ensemble energy management technology and integrate into Enphase home energy systems. Homeowners will be able to manage their solar, battery storage and EV charging from within the Enphase app.
When And How Much?
As for when the charger will be available, Enphase says the company is working with standards organizations, EV manufacturers and regulators to bring it to market next year. Which market will see it first wasn’t mentioned, but given Australia is still considered somewhat of an EV backwater (for now), we may not get first dibs. There’s no indication of pricing at this point, but expect it to be expensive as:
- Bidirectional chargers are generally pretty pricey (around $AUD 10k currently), although that should change as more products become available.
- Enphase kit is not cheap.
While this may be Enphase Energy’s first branded contribution to home EV charging, the company has access to plenty of know-how and manufacturing capability thanks to its acquisition of ClipperCreek last year. One of the reasons Enphase acquired ClipperCreek was to accelerate its plans relating to bi-directional charging capability for V2H and V2G applications.
For a deeper dive into the new device, check out Enphase’s bi-directional charger white paper.
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While currently a backwater for EVs, Australia is a frontwater for rooftop solar, so fingers crossed we see a lot of bidirectional chargers available here soon.
And please tell me how you charge from rooftop solar free when you work.
Or when in winter a 6.6kw system only produces 2.2kw for the day
There’s nothing really fancy you can do, so solutions you come up with on your own are likely to be as good as anything I can tell you. Give a couple of ideas and I’ll let you know if you’re on the right track.
Thats why I have a 15kW system not 6.6.
My initial 10kW system was producing well enough on cloudy days in winter to feed into the grid consistently but I did go all out with an Enphase system not a cheap chinese single inverter solution with the highest rated panels that don’t deliver a fraction in real life like most 6.6kW budget systems have.
Often you get what you pay for.
As for V2H it’s interesting for the future but for now I plan to run my own home batteries and keep the car battery for driving. Maybe when I replace the EV maybe then but for now the next step is 3x5kWh batteries for the house and 3 more to follow when I can afford more and potentially dumping the grid.
To me it’s a waste currently as I fed 3.6MWh into the grid last quarter and used 1MWh only to end up with a bill still due to anaemic FiTs and supply charges out the arse.
I charge my model y almost entirely with our 5kw solar system. In winter it will probably only charge 60% or so, but that’s still pretty solid imo.
Great to hear of another bi-directional charger coming to market… and potentially to Australia.
Once the market embraces V2H, I’m convinced it will revolutionise how we use power, and will help transform the grid.
Wish list.
-More approved products.
-More and better features, like just match he home’s consumption.
-A significant price reduction.
-Solaredge to release a bi-directional charger which fully intergrates into their eco system.
I would love to get V2H (can live without V2G), but bidirectional chargers aren’t much use in a blackout if the regulator won’t let it function!
‘Islanding’ to enable V2H only – much more useful in a blackout than V2G – hasn’t been a feature of Australian bi-directional charger implementation to date. The regulators are apparently concerned about the potential to pump energy into a broken grid, putting repairers at risk.
It seems to be less of an issue in other parts of the world, such as UK, where they have demonstrated the ability to sell to the grid from the EV battery at evening peak FIT and then recharge the EV from the grid in the off peak early morning hours – and profit from the price difference!
Australia will get there – one (small) step at a time!
I’m hoping when they talk of using IQ8 microinverters they are talking about using them as interfaces to the system controller I/O’s (i.e EV, storage and solar output to controller), and not a requirement for the panels themselves.
My system uses IQ7+ microinverters on the panels and I will be majorly disappointed if they are not compatible with the Enphase bidirectional charger.
What is not clear (to me) is the ability or not to “retrofit” to existing EVs. The main issue with bidirectional charging is the ability of the vehicle to go both ways. Currently I understand this is only the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi vehicles (not sure but I presume Tesla has its own arrangement?) The Enphase Introduction states, “…will work with most EVs that support bidirectional charging.”
So, I have a Volvo EV 2022 model and presume that this will not be possible despite it having the suitable charging plug connections and is an obstacle that will impact other existing EV owners? Any clarification is appreciated.
I’m no expert (Finn?) but I believe the EVSE – bidirectional or not – is really more of a switching unit than a ‘charger’. All the electrical conversions (e.g. DC to AC) are done in the inverter or the EV. So if your EV already has V2L, it has a 240V AC output that could potentially be ‘enhanced’ to feed V2H or V2G. I think V2L is the first (and a very useful) step – the electrical and regulatory next steps are possible, but need time to mature.
I wonder if this charger will require an Enphase Envoy firmware update to the version(s) that make access to the local solar data more difficult. (This issue mostly affects more advanced users wanting to automate home operation based on solar production.)
For a long rainy-day read see this long thread about how Enphase seem to have got a screwy security model for users wanting to access solar data locally: https://support.enphase.com/s/question/0D53m00006ySLuRCAW/unimpressed-with-loss-of-local-api-connectivity-to-envoys
There are numerous users still reporting on-going issues with having local access to their production/consumption data during internet outages – as well as general cry that “we have paid for the system, so the data is ours.”
Hi, I understand this Enphase charger is now available in some countries?
As at end of November 2023, is there any update on price and availability for Australia?
I have sunpower/ Enphase (EQ7a) 11.2kw system I want to integrate it with for purchase of a VW ev (with V2H) in next 6 months. (I am in SEQ).
Davo