Mitsubishi PHEVs approved for bi-directional charging

Mitsubishi has become the first auto brand in Australia to have its bi-directional charging hardware approved for commercial use, allowing owners of the Mitsubishi Outlander and Eclipse Cross PHEVs to use their cars to not only power electrical appliances but also homes and even the grid.

However, there are several catches. First, the Japanese car-maker’s bi-directional charging technology has only been approved in South Australia, where Mitsubishi PHEV owners will have to purchase and install a bi-directional charger at a cost of about $10,000.

Mitsubishi has been working with JET Charge – distributor of the Wallbox Quasar 1 bi-directional charger – and SA Power Networks (SAPN) on the project for more than 12 months.

But right now you can’t actually buy a charger to leverage bi-directional charging capability in Australia, because the Quasar 1 is now heading out of production, the Quasar 2 is still in development and no other bi-directional chargers have yet been approved for use Down Under.

Still, Mitsubishi is proud to claim the title as the first car-maker to gain Australian approval for the technology – even though Nissan was the first to offer it via its pioneering LEAF electric hatch.

The Australian-first follows a string of different vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trials around the country facilitated by JET Charge and other infrastructure providers seeking to progress bi-directional charging technology.

Mitsubishi, for example, installed a pair of Quasar 1s at its Adelaide headquarters in February last year, in an effort to showcase the capabilities of its Outlander and Eclipse Cross PHEVs – the only two PHEV models in Australia with V2G compatibility – while working with JET Charge to establish the technology.

“Since we first announced our Head Office bi-directional EV infrastructure intentions, MMAL and JET Charge have been in ongoing consultation with SAPN,” said Mitsubishi Motors Australia eMobility manager Tim Clarke.

“The technology is rapidly emerging, so as SAPN’s operational needs evolved, we worked closely to adapt the installation to ensure grid export requirements were met.

“Under the approval, MMAL is now unconditionally able to export power from its PHEVs into the grid.”

JET Charge CEO Tim Washington said bi-directional charging would “fundamentally change how” consumers “view transport and energy”.

“It will make our vehicles an even bigger part of our everyday lives, powering how we move and how we live,” he said.

“It takes different parts of the industry, all working together, to deliver this value for Australians, and I feel like we have made a significant step with this project.”

For those unfamiliar with the concept, bi-directional charging allows two-way sharing of energy between an EV or PHEV’s on-board drive battery and an external power source such as a home solar battery or the electricity grid itself via a compatible charger.

Beyond the vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality that now allows many EVs and PHEVs (including Mitsubishi’s) to power electrical appliances, bi-directional charging enables energy sharing applications such as vehicle-to-home (V2H) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G).

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