Our organization unveils a new two-way electric vehicle charging station, named the Bidirectional Wallbox.
The Sono Group, a pioneering force in solar mobility, is set to revolutionise the energy landscape with the introduction of the Sono Wallbox. This innovative wallbox is designed to charge the Sion's 54 kWh LFP battery in up to 5 hours, offering a range of up to 305 km for overnight charging.
The Sono Wallbox caters to a variety of vehicle architectures, from third-party OEM cars to buses, refrigerated vehicles, and recreational vehicles. It is not just limited to automotive applications, as it is also suitable for home charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and vehicle-to-home (V2H) purposes.
The first bidirectional AC wallbox on the market, the Sono Wallbox, will be decided by a community of over 14,000 reservation holders through a voting process. Voting for the Sono Wallbox design can be done online or at the Sono House event from September 5-12. The design process is open and collaborative, with three different design options available for the community to choose from.
The Sono Wallbox offers several key benefits and features. By charging with surplus rooftop solar energy during the day and discharging stored energy to power home appliances or the electricity grid at night, the wallbox helps significantly reduce household energy costs. It also enables better use of renewable energy by storing excess solar power in the EV battery and then feeding it back to the home or grid when needed, thus optimising renewable energy use.
The bidirectional wallbox supports grid stability by supplying energy back to the grid during peak demand or outages, acting like a distributed energy resource. In power outages, the EV battery can provide backup electricity for home use (V2H), enhancing energy security. Owners can potentially earn from supplying energy back to the grid and save on energy bills by smart usage aligned with dynamic tariffs.
The Sono Wallbox is designed as a sleek, compact unit that combines charger and inverter in one box, simplifying installation. It offers around 22 kW AC power output for fast and efficient charging and discharging. The technology requires compatible EVs capable of two-way charging, such as Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq 5/6, or Kia EV6, alongside smart home chargers.
The Sono Wallbox is an affordable solution, up to 70% cheaper than comparable DC Wallboxes. It is designed in collaboration with German manufacturer Kostal. The Sono Group's planned number of over 257,000 Sion vehicles will function as a decentralised mega-storage system and a trailblazer on the journey to 100% renewable energy.
For press inquiries, please visit press@our website, and for investor relations, visit ir@our website. The Sono House event will take place at the Sono Group's HQ in Munich, coinciding with the IAA. Join us in accelerating the revolution of mobility by making every vehicle solar.
[1] Energy cost reduction: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338395856_Bidirectional_Charging_of_Electric_Vehicles_as_a_Tool_for_Grid_Support_and_Energy_Efficiency [2] Integration with home energy systems: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-020-0617-4 [3] Bidirectional AC charging: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468004620300565 [4] Enhanced renewable energy integration: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405896321001340 [5] Backup power and resiliency: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346520658_Vehicle-to-Home_V2H_and_Vehicle-to-Grid_V2G_Applications_for_Residential_Energy_Storage
- The bidirectional Sono Wallbox, apart from charging electric-vehicles, can also discharge stored energy to power homes and the electricity grid, thereby leading to a significant reduction in lifestyle costs.
- The Sono Wallbox, suitable for home charging, vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and vehicle-to-home (V2H) purposes, is not exclusively limited to the technology of electric-vehicles; it can also charge third-party OEM cars, buses, refrigerated vehicles, and recreational vehicles.
