Volvo Cars steps into the smart home business with an investment in an energy company based in Montreal, Canada. The Swedish car manufacturer has chosen to support dcbel’s R&D endeavours through its venture capital arm, the Volvo Cars Tech Fund but the technology may tie in well into Volvo’s own V2X efforts.
“Home Energy Management Systems will play a vital role as we move towards bi-directionality of electric vehicles,” said Alexander Petrofski, CEO of Volvo Cars Tech Fund. “Rising energy prices coupled with frequent blackouts are challenges faced by consumers today, and our investment in dcbel and their technology can help alleviate those challenges for our customers.”
The company’s bi-directional smart charger can leverage EV energy to power a home at peak utility pricing or during a power outage, as mentioned by Petrofski. Less dramatic use cases for V2X functionality naturally include forms of virtual power plants, helping control energy demand and sell energy back to the grid.
As for dcbel, the company is just developing the r16 Home Energy Station and hopes Volvo will help with its go-to-market ambitions.
Its smart charger is geared not only towards EVs but also enables intelligent home energy management via the Orchestrate OS platform. The system simultaneously converts the electricity from rooftop photovoltaics and stored inside home batteries. The device, therefore, automates the management of whole-home energy, writes dcbel.
Once installed, the Home Energy Station will also automate all energy management decisions involving the EV, including automatic charging, vehicle-to-home peak shaving when utility rates are high, blackout protection and vehicle-to-grid export based on demand, and protection against battery degradation.
Using proprietary apps, homeowners can maintain visibility and control over their energy through smartphones and other connected devices.
Author: Nora Manthey
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