Polestar introduces bi-directional charging pilot for Polestar 3 owners in California

Polestar takes first step in enabling bi-directional charging to customers, ultimately making it possible to use the car as a powerbank and monetize it when parked while supporting the electric grid. Together with home energy company dcbel, Polestar is launching a vehicle-to-home (V2H), blackout protection support, and smart charging solution for Polestar 3 customers in the U.S., starting with California.

Michael Lohscheller, Polestar CEO, says: “Bi-directional charging is a game-changer, not only for the car industry, but the home energy ecosystem. As it lowers your total cost of ownership and makes your car work for you even when parked, this choice of driving a Polestar is even more attractive.”

Bi-directional charging technology allows electric cars to both charge and discharge energy from their batteries, with the capability to send energy to the user’s home or back to the electricity grid. As a result, the car can help reduce energy costs, act as a backup source for your home, support the local grid, and increase the use of renewable energy.

This initial bi-directional charging solution uses direct current (DC) and enables V2H functionality for Polestar 3 customers on the 400 Volt electrical architecture. The commercial offer is aimed at residents in California who can take advantage of local state incentives and includes the dcbel home energy system, Ara, and allows customers to reduce charging costs by up to 1,300 USD per year² and use their car as an energy backup during blackouts for up to 10 days³.

California residents can enjoy rebates as part of a California Energy Commission program administered by dcbel, offsetting large parts of the investment for both the energy system and installation. More information on the V2H offer for Polestar 3 customers in California is available on https://polestar.dcbel.energy/.

Olivier Loedel, Head of Software Product Management at Polestar, says: “We are very excited to deliver this initial bi-directional charging offer together with our North American partner dcbel. It’s a new technology that requires a sophisticated and intelligent ecosystem, and this marks an important first step as we aim to launch bi-directional charging features to more Polestar customers in more markets.”

Polestar continues the development of bi-directional charging capability and plans to introduce a wider offer in the future. In Germany, with more European markets to follow, Polestar has launched a bi-directional-ready AC home charger together with partner Zaptec; the Zaptec Go2. Compatible with Polestar 3, this charger enables bi-directional charging when the feature becomes available for the car in the future.