Carmakers push V2H capability
Several current EV models — including the Kia EV9 and refreshed Nissan Leaf — now offer vehicle‑to‑home (V2H) capability, letting car batteries power household loads during outages and opening new resilience sales angles for panel work and load management. That capability is emerging as a differentiator homeowners ask about when weighing charger and service upgrades. (bgr.com)
Wallbox and Kia opened Quasar 2 pre-orders on March 4, 2025, with Kia naming Wallbox’s Quasar 2 and its Power Recovery Unit as the first compatible bi‑directional home charger for eligible EV9 owners. (kiamedia.com) Quasar 2 is rated roughly 11.5–12 kW for bidirectional discharge (about 240 V / 52 A split‑phase output) and Wallbox lists the Quasar 2 + Power Recovery Unit retail at $6,440 excluding taxes and installation. (manuals.plus) Wallbox requires installations that include the Power Recovery Unit and energy metering to be performed by qualified, Wallbox‑certified electricians and provides installer training through Wallbox Academy and published installation guides. (support.wallbox.com) Nissan approved Fermata Energy’s FE‑20 bidirectional charger for use with the Nissan LEAF on August 28, 2024, and the FE‑20 is a CHAdeMO DC bidirectional unit rated at 20 kW for both charge and discharge. (usa.nissannews.com) Nissan noted LEAF hardware dating back to 2013 can support bidirectional operation, and Nissan published proof‑of‑concept results showing the predecessor FE‑15 trial reduced bills by about $9,450 over four years (roughly $2,000/year). (usa.nissannews.com) NEC Article 625 now governs EV power‑export equipment, treating EV charging as a continuous load and requiring service/feeder sizing and overcurrent protection to match manufacturer ratings and load‑management settings, and Minnesota adopted the 2023 NEC effective July 17, 2023. (ecmweb.com) Wallbox documentation and Quasar 2 manuals show practical installation components electricians will encounter: a Power Recovery Unit, an approved energy meter for EMS functions, and manual or automatic transfer switch arrangements to isolate circuits during V2H backfeed, all of which require local permitting and utility coordination. (support.wallbox.com) Manufacturers and charger vendors are positioning V2H as a resilience and bill‑reduction sales angle—Wallbox markets up to $1,500/year in savings and multi‑day backup in its product literature—while OEM approvals and certified‑installer programs signal growing paid installation work for trained electricians. (wallbox.com)
