![Wallbox demonstrates next-gen bidirectional charging for first time using Kia EV9 [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/Wallbox-charging-Kia-EV9.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Wallbox demonstrates next-gen bidirectional charging for first time using Kia EV9 [Video]
Weeks after announcing a collaboration with Kia America to bring bidirectional charging capabilities to EV9 drivers, Wallbox has demonstrated the potential of its technology first hand. Today, the energy management technology company posted a video you can see below that showcases its Quasar 2 home EV charger not only charging an EV9, but also using the SUV to power home devices the opposite direction as well as other intuitive features. Check it out.
Wallbox ($WBX) describes itself as a developer of “advanced electric vehicle charging and energy management systems that redefine the relationship between users and the network.” In less than a decade since being founded, Wallbox’s portfolio of commercial and public EV charging solutions has expanded to several EV chargers and accessories, now available in over 115 different countries.
Its current lineup includes a 400kW DC fast charger we saw during a visit to Wallbox’s newest facility in Texas last fall, which can deliver 100 miles of range in five minutes of charging. We also got a look at the Quasar 2, a new home 11.5 kW EV charger presented by Wallbox this past January that offers a CCS-combo DC charger with bi-directional charging that enables vehicle-to-home (V2H) capabilities.
Not many electric vehicles being built today support bidirectional charging just yet, but the 800V E-GMP platform designed by Hyundai Motor Group certainly does, one of its best selling points in our opinion. One vehicle that currently sits atop the E-GMP platform is the Kia EV9 SUV, which is just starting to begin deliveries in North America.
In late August, Wallbox announced it is working with Kia to give EV9 drivers access to its Quasar 2 home charger, offering the potential opportunity for bidirectional charging. It’s one thing to know the technology is available and another to see it in action. “Show don’t tell,” as we used to say in the Hollywood.
Today, Wallbox is showcasing its Quasar 2 charger connected to an EV9, and its capabilities are something special.
Watch Wallbox’s Quasar 2 demonstrate V2H charging
Following the initial announcement of its collaboration with Kia and the EV9, Wallbox’s chief business officer Douglas Alfaro visited Hyundai Motor Group’s proving grounds in California to plug the company’s Quasar 2 into the EV9 and truly demonstrate how it works. According to Wallbox, this is the first time it has live demonstrated its bidrectional charging technology in the US.
As you can see in the video below, Alfaro starts pretty standard, plugging the Quasar 2 into a Kia EV9, which automatically commences charging the SUV. On a table next to the charger, Wallbox set up several devices representing common energy users in a home – lights, air, appliances, etc.
Here’s where things get interesting. Alfaro cuts the grid power and you can see the Wallbox charger automatically recognize the shortage and switch direction of the charging – pulling from the EV9 to keep all the devices running.
As we’ve pointed out in the past, bidirectional charging like that in the Quasar 2 essentially empowers EV drivers with homes to turn their vehicle into a power bank. Another interesting fact to consider is that the Kia EV9 holds between 76-100 kWh of battery power depending on what configuration you buy – that’s a lot of backup power. Wallbox explains that the even the smaller pack in the Kia is more than 5-times the capacity of a standard home energy storage system (13.5 kWh), ensuring the lights can stay on longer during blackouts or inclement weather.
Grid power comes back, the Quasar 2 automatically switches back to charging the EV9, simple. The charger also recognizes peak energy demands on the grid and can automatically pause EV charging and wait for a later time in the evening when energy costs are down.
One last huge benefit is the Wallbox charger’s ability to deliver vehicle-to-grid capabilities as well, in which Kia EV9 owners could someday flush their excess vehicle energy directly into the local grid and potentially be paid for it.
As we pointed out in today’s other news about legacy automakers teaming up to bolster the grid in North America, there will be a lot of regulatory red tape to cut through before V2G becomes commonplace, but the technology already exists on both the EV and charging sides of the equations. Utility companies now need to optimize and allow for it.
Regardless, there are plenty of perks to bidirectional charging available to EV owners today, as demonstrated by Wallbox below. Have a look for yourself and let us know what you think.
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After a month off trying to wrap our heads around all the chaos surrounding EVs, solar, and everything else in Washington, we’re back with the biggest EV news stories of the day from Tesla, Ford, Volvo, and everyone else on today’s hiatus-busting episode of Quick Charge!
It just gets worse and worse for the Tesla true believers – especially those willing to put their money where Elon’s mouth is! One believer is set to lose nearly $50,000 betting on Tesla’s ability to deliver a Robotaxi service by the end of June (didn’t happen), and the controversial CEO’s most recent spat with President Trump had TSLA down nearly 5% in pre-morning trading.
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Hyundai is getting ready to shake things up. A new electric crossover SUV, likely the Hyundai IONIQ 2, is set to debut in the coming months. It will sit below the Kona Electric as Hyundai expands its entry-level EV lineup.
Is Hyundai launching the IONIQ 2 in 2026?
After launching the Inster late last year, Hyundai is already preparing to introduce a new entry-level EV in Europe.
Xavier Martinet, President and CEO of Hyundai Europe, confirmed that the new EV will be revealed “in the next few months.” It will be built in Europe and scheduled to go on sale in mid-2026.
Hyundai’s new electric crossover is expected to be a twin to the Kia EV2, which will likely arrive just ahead of it next year.
It will be underpinned by the same E-GMP platform, which powers all IONIQ and Kia EV models (EV3, EV4, EV5, EV6, and EV9).
Like the Kia EV3, it will likely be available with either a 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh battery pack option. The former provides a WLTP range of 267 miles while the latter is rated with up to 372 miles. All trims are powered by a single electric motor at the front, producing 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque.
Although it may share the same underpinnings as the EV2, Hyundai’s new entry-level EV will feature an advanced new software and infotainment system.
According to Autocar, the interior will represent a “step change” in terms of usability and features. The new system enables new functions, such as ambient lighting and sounds that adjust depending on the drive mode.
It’s expected to showcase Hyundai’s powerful new Pleos software and infotainment system. As an end-to-end software platform, Pleos connects everything from the infotainment system (Pleos Connect) to the Vehicle Operating System (OS) and the cloud.
Pleos is set to power Hyundai’s upcoming software-defined vehicles (SDVs) with new features like autonomous driving and real-time data analysis.
As an Android-based system, Pleos Connect features a “smartphone-like UI” with new functions including multi-window viewing and an AI voice assistant.
The new electric crossover is expected to start at around €30,000 ($35,400), or slightly less than the Kia EV3, priced from €35,990 ($42,500). It will sit between the Inster and Kona Electric in Hyundai’s lineup.
Hyundai said that it would launch the first EV with its next-gen infotainment system in Q2 2026. Will it be the IONIQ 2? Hyundai is expected to unveil the new entry-level EV at IAA Mobility in September. Stay tuned for more info. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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Tesla has unveiled its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell factory in Nevada and claims that it is nearly ready to start production.
Like several other automakers using LFP cells, Tesla relies heavily on Chinese manufacturers for its battery cell supply.
Tesla’s cheapest electric vehicles all utilize LFP cells, and its entire range of energy storage products, Megapacks and Powerwalls, also employ the more affordable LFP cell chemistry from Chinese manufacturers.
This reliance on Chinese manufacturers is less than ideal and particularly complicated for US automakers and battery pack manufacturers like Tesla, amid an ongoing trade war between the US and virtually the entire world, including China.
As of last year, a 25% tariff already applied to battery cells from China, but this increased to more than 80% under Trump before he paused some tariffs on China. It remains unclear where they will end up by the time negotiations are complete and the trade war is resolved, but many expect it to be higher.
Prior to Trump taking power, Tesla had already planned to build a small LFP battery factory in the US to avoid the 25% tariffs.
The automaker had secured older manufacturing equipment from one of its battery cell suppliers, CATL, and planned to deploy it in the US for small-scale production.
Tesla has now released new images of the factory in Nevada and claimed that it is “nearing completion”:
Here are a few images from inside the factory (via Tesla):
Previous reporting stated that Tesla aims to produce about 10 GWh of LFP battery cells per year at the new factory.
The cells are expected to be used in Tesla’s Megapack, produced in the US. Tesla currently has a capacity to produce 40 GWh of Megapacks annually at its factory in California. The company is also working on a new Megapack factory in Texas.
Ford is also developing its own LFP battery cell factory in Michigan, but this facility is significantly larger, with a planned production capacity of 35 GWh.
Electrek’s Take
It’s nice to see this in the US. LFP was a US/Canada invention, with Arumugam Manthiram and John B. Goodenough doing much of the early work, and researchers in Quebec making several contributions to help with commercialization.
But China saw the potential early and invested heavily in volume manufacturing of LFP cells and it now dominates the market.
Tesla is now producing most of its vehicles with LFP cells and all its stationary energy storage products.
It makes sense to invest in your own production. However, Tesla is unlikely to catch up to BYD and CATL, which dominate LFP cell production.
The move will help Tesla avoid tariffs on a small percentage of its Megapacks produced in the US. Ford’s effort is more ambitious.
It’s worth noting that both Ford’s and Tesla’s LFP plants were planned before Trump’s tariffs, which have had limited success in bringing manufacturing back to the US.
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