Wallbox´s invention of the Quasar charger in 2019 forever changed the way we thought about powering up electrical vehicles. The world´s smallest bidirectional charger specifically designed for home was in many ways a dry run for Wallbox´s latest cutting edge technology. Shifting the focus from public and home charging to bidirectional energy management, news of the first Quasar helped to prepare tech-enthusiasts for the home energy revolution that was to come.
Now, almost four years on, Wallbox is attempting to change the way people view charging once again with its first CCS bidirectional charger.
Whatever car you own, energizing your home may soon be no more complicated than connecting your electric vehicle to the Quasar 2.
Quasar 2 is Wallbox’s next-generation bidirectional charger
Quasar 2 transforms your EV into an extreme energy device that not only allows you to charge your car’s battery when energy is cheapest but reverse the flow of the electricity to send power straight into your home or return it to the grid.
Reducing dependency on the grid and storing solar energy surpluses allows homeowners to live more sustainably than ever before, but make savings of up to €1000* annually.
Check our recap of Power 2 Drive 2023, in Munich
Quasar 2 to be sold in Europe later this year thanks to Wallbox and CUPRA
Wallbox has signed an agreement with major car manufacturer, CUPRA BORN 77kWh, with many more to come. Quasar 2, which was introduced in June, is set to be sold across Europe later this year.
A little over the size of a carry-on suitcase, Quasar 2 can be programmed to automatically schedule charging sessions at times when energy rates are low or when solar energy is available. Through the MyWallbox app, users can tell the charger to redirect the energy stored in their car back into their home, avoiding peak energy prices. On average, an EV can power a European home for over three days.
Guillem Iváñez, head of bidirectional charging at Wallbox, said that previous attempts by companies to create a market for bidirectional chargers had struggled because the technology had not been good enough to make the chargers compatible with the majority of cars on the market. Most companies’ attempts spluttered to an end during a lab test or pilot.
Quasar 2 is an 11.5kW charger that can also pull energy from compatible EVs and send it back to the grid or use it to power a home or business.
Guillem said: “The project came down to whether you could make a device that democratized bidirectional charging. With Quasar 2 we have done that.”
Since Wallbox’s first stab at a bidirectional charger four years ago with Quasar the technology has made major leaps forward. Guillem believes that the 12.8kW charger will be compatible with the vast majority of brands on the global market. The device will work with all ecosystems, which means it is compatible with Single Phase,Three Phase (EU) and split phase (US), and so can function worldwide. “The capacity is much broader now,” said Guillem.
Quasar 2 is also far more versatile, thanks to its integration with the MyWallbox app, Once the customer completes the initial setup. The charger seamlessly becomes a part of the home’s energy system, utilizing a single energy meter. With just a simple swipe of a button, you can effortlessly control all the functions of the charger, enabling it to run autonomously.
Fully charged, the average EV battery can provide up to three days or more of emergency power.
“What I am most proud of is how easy Quasar 2 is to manage, thanks to the app. We have made the very complex easy to understand, we have made bidirectional charging achievable for everyone. ”
Wallbox, innovation and world-class design since the beginning
Wallbox is no stranger to innovation and world-class design. The first Wallbox product, Commander, upended the world of charging when it was designed in 2015, but it was the Pulsar device that catalyzed the idea of charging at home.
Home chargers had existed before, but it can be easy to forget here in 2023 just how ugly technological hardware was just a few years ago. You could get any colour charger you wanted, as long as it was gray. They were bulky and ugly and complicated to install.
“Quasar 2 it’s no longer a charger, it’s a Home Energy Solution,” said Guillem Iváñez, head of bidirectional charging at Wallbox.
Pulsar was something different: sleek and gorgeous-looking, complete with a halo light and pared-back white finish — the product of Enric Asuncion, an ex-Tesla engineer, and his team in Barcelona. Pulsar was exciting and new, and was about to change the way people conceived home charging.
Pulsar unlocked the ability to charge at home – but Quasar 2, Guillem said, will revolutionize the way we manage energy.
Quasar 2 brings together Wallbox’s signature user-centric design with powerful bi-directional technology that is more versatile than ever before.
“Our Quasar 2 is slim, it is beautiful, lightweight and just one person can install it. It has a lot of features that no other charger can match. We designed a product for home with all possibilities and eventualities.
“Quasar 2 it’s no longer a charger, it’s a Home Energy Solution.”
*Results may vary and are dependent on various factors such as usage patterns, energy rates, and individual circumstances.
