Meeting the demand for increasingly climate-friendly solutions across various industries, the onset and growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has become exceedingly prominent for consumers eager to solve the global climate issue by purchasing vehicles that lower or eliminate emissions output. However, a significant point of concern potentially reducing the benefits of buying an EV is the traditional unidirectional charging method that restricts where the energy flows.
As a solution, Siemens eMobility recently announced its newly released custom EV charger for the Ford F-150 Lightning, developed alongside Ford on the Ford Charge Station Pro. The innovative charger is the first bidirectional-ready EV solution set for release at retail customer scale to receive certification under the newly expanded Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 9741, a valuable industry-wide benchmark that ensures products meet safety standards. In addition, the new charge station also features a peak power of 19.2kW, achieving the maximum power rating currently available for a Level 2 charge station.
The Ford Charge Station Pro is needed to enable Ford Intelligent Backup Power. This system allows the Ford-150 Lightning to function interactively with the home and serve as a power generation source during outages, becoming the first electric truck with such capabilities. In the future, additional features will become available, including firmware updates to the charger expanding customers’ interaction with the grid.
“Together with Ford, Siemens is not only helping accelerate electric vehicle adoption in the residential space but is also empowering drivers to take more ownership of their energy future,” said John DeBoer, head of Siemens eMobility in North America. He continued, “The technology behind this charger is helping make charging at home more sustainable, more reliable, and more accessible. We’re incredibly proud to put our experience to work to help usher in a new era for electric vehicles and grid resiliency.”
With 75,000 Siemens chargers already deployed in the US across all 50 states, the successful integration of the bidirectional charger empowers owners worldwide to exercise more control over how they utilize their energy. By either selling excess energy back to the grid or using it to power their own homes, customers can become increasingly self-sufficient through renewable energy power sources.
The expansion and rapid adoption of a nationwide electromobility infrastructure will continue to integrate a myriad of innovative solutions that improve drive technology, charging solutions, and overall sustainability for customers.
