Your Audi E-tron will soon power your home

MANILA: Audi is currently studying the idea of using the battery of its EVs (electric vehicles) as a power source in various places including residential locations.

“Electric mobility is bringing the automotive industry and the energy sector closer together. The battery of an Audi E-tron could supply a single-family home with energy for around one week independently. Looking ahead, we want to make this potential accessible and make the electric car part of the energy transition as an energy storage device on four wheels,” says Technical Project Manager for Bidirectional Charging at Audi Martin Dehm,.

The idea, while not entirely original (Toyota has been working on one since 2018), is extremely simple. The high-voltage battery that is used to power the EV can also be used to supply energy back to the house. Using a photovoltaic system (energy systems that utilize natural sources like solar panels), the EV is used as a temporary storage medium for the domestically generated eco-electricity.

Using vehicle to home (V2H) technology, the EV will then be able to supply the power back to the home when needed. In countries where electricity rates are variable depending on the time of day, the EV can supply electricity during times when price is high.

Audi has partnered with German electrical installations company Hager Group for this endeavor.

“Using the battery of electric vehicles to contribute to climate protection while lowering electricity costs at the same time is a vision that we have found fascinating since the very beginning. And we have found an ideal partner in Audi,” explains Ulrich Reiner, project manager at Hager Group.

Photo from Audi

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