LOAD SHEDDING could be a thing of the past for South African drivers who choose to buy Volvo in the future.
According to the managing director of Volvo Car South Africa, Greg Maruszewski, certain Volvo models will feature bi-directional charging, meaning that they can be used to power a home and other electrical appliances.
Volvo EX90 is the first model of this kind.
It is a fully designed electric car that will be unveiled on 9 November.
“This South African challenge means that our customers will be especially receptive to a feature such as this,” Maruszewski said in a statement.
He said that electric cars with bi-directional charging have the potential to form a virtual powerplant.
“Paired with smart-charging capabilities coming to the Volvo Cars smartphone app, the Volvo EX90 will allow motorists to charge their cars when demand from the grid is low and save that stored energy to be used later,” he added.
Practically, this means that during load shedding, the Volvo EX90 could power any appliances in a home.
The head of electrification ecosystem at Volvo, Olivier Loedel, said the battery of EX90 can be used in many ways, which includes powering your house during peak hours.
“We believe in a future where our customers can support the grid using this technology, enabling a more efficient and sustainable use of electricity in everyday life,” Loedel said.
The company said the entire charging process of the car will be automatic and managed entirely by the smart charging functionality in the Volvo Cars app.
