Polestar, the electric performance car brand, has announced a major technological advancement that promises to save electric vehicle drivers up to £1,000 annually. The innovation centres on a new bi-directional charging system, a significant step that allows a car's battery to power a home and support the grid.
What is the Polestar Charging Breakthrough?
In partnership with home energy specialist dcbel, Polestar is launching a comprehensive vehicle-to-home (V2H) solution for customers of its Polestar 3 SUV in the United States. The initial rollout is focused on California, starting in December 2025.
The system enables bi-directional charging, a technology that lets an electric car both draw energy from and discharge energy back to a home or the electricity network. This transforms the vehicle into a large mobile power bank.
Financial Benefits and Grid Support
The commercial offer includes the dcbel home energy system, known as Ara. Polestar states that customers can reduce their charging costs by up to $1,300 (approximately £1,000) per year. Furthermore, the car can act as a backup power source during blackouts for up to ten days, providing crucial blackout protection.
Michael Lohscheller, Polestar's CEO, emphasised the wider impact: "Bi-directional charging is a gamechanger, 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 makes the choice of driving a Polestar even more attractive."
How the Technology Works and Future Plans
This initial solution uses direct current (DC) and is compatible with Polestar 3 models built on a 400 Volt electrical architecture. California residents can also benefit from state rebates administered by dcbel, which offset a significant portion of the system and installation costs.
Olivier Loedel, Head of Software Product Management at Polestar, highlighted the collaboration: "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."
The company's stated goal is to expand these bi-directional charging features to more Polestar customers in additional global markets following this US pilot. This move signals a broader shift towards EVs becoming integral, active components of a flexible and sustainable energy grid.
