Honda Begins Testing Bi-Directional Charging Technology At Its Plant In Germany

Honda has installed an advanced bi-directional charging technology at its European R&D site in Offenbach, Germany in an effort to store energy more efficiently across the facility.

The installation follows the debut of the domestic Honda Power Manager Concept at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, which takes power from the grid and return stored energy from electric vehicle (EV) batteries via ‘Vehicle-to-Grid’ or ‘V2G’ technology.

This latest trial installation at Honda’s Offenbach site applies the same principles, but on a larger scale.

How the bi-directional energy transfer works is that electricity (drawn from the grid or generated by solar panels) is used to charge EVs plugged in to the system, and while the EV is plugged in, the energy held in its battery can also be transferred back to help stabilize the grid at times of short or surplus supply.

With the help of the bi-directional technology, Honda aims to optimize energy management at its European R&D campus, maximizing the use of renewable solar power in particular.

According to Honda, the new charging system is a test bed for hardware that will be available to private households in the future.

The state-of-the-art 940V facility, which is compatible with various types of connectors, can deliver up to 150kW of energy, enabling as many as four vehicles to be charged simultaneously. 

Since its installation in June, the EV charging station has supplied power for 447 charge sessions and has saved 3.87 tonnes of CO2.