Key Points
- Polestar has launched bi-directional charging for Polestar 3 owners in California.
- The feature allows the car to be used as a home battery or to send power back to the grid.
- Polestar claims it can save users up to $1,300 a year on charging costs and provide backup power for up to 10 days.
- The feature is being offered in partnership with the home energy company dcbel.
The electric vehicle maker Polestar has announced it will introduce bi-directional charging for Polestar 3 owners in California. This feature allows an electric car to act as a home battery or even send power back to the electrical grid. It’s one of several ways EV owners can save money, either by using less grid energy or by earning credits for providing their car’s excess power.
Polestar’s new feature uses direct current and is being offered in partnership with the home energy company DCBEL. This company helps run a California Energy Commission program that installs “home energy stations.” These stations can manage various clean energy sources in a home, including EVs with bi-directional charging.
Polestar claims that by using DCBEL’s Ara system, customers can “reduce charging costs by up to $1,300 per year and use their car as an energy backup during blackouts for up to 10 days.”
The ability to use an EV’s battery to power a home was a major selling point for Ford’s F-150 Lightning. The feature has also appeared on GM’s EV lineup and the third-generation Nissan Leaf. Polestar says it will continue to develop the bi-directional charging capabilities of its cars and “plans to introduce a wider offer in the future.”
While this is the first time Polestar is offering the feature in the U.S., the company already provides bi-directional charging to customers in Germany through a home charger it developed with another partner, Zaptec.
If you live in California and own a Polestar 3, you can apply for rebates on a home energy station through DCBEL’s website to try out the new feature.
