(Photo: Zeekr)
A Chinese automaker is proposing new technology that enables an electric car to be partially recharged from another car’s battery, provided both are equipped with the same bidirectional charging system. This innovation could encourage other manufacturers and lead to a new trend.
Currently, some electric car models can use the energy contained in batteries to power a home or simply to support the local power grid.
The technology is called bidirectional charging (V2G), a solution that enables the energy stored by these vehicles to be used temporarily when plugged into charging stations.
Currently, only Volvo, Nissan and Mitsubishi provide this solution on specific models, but the upcoming Renault 5 electric vehicle will feature this technology, and Tesla is expected to activate it across its various models soon.
What if this energy could be used to charge the battery of another car? That’s the idea of a Chinese manufacturer, which has launched the first electric car capable of recharging other EVs.
Zeekr, the high-end electric brand of the Geely Group, has equipped its latest sedan with bidirectional charging capability, enabling it to recharge other electric cars with up to 60 kW of power.
The so called V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) technology allows you to charge another compatible EV, which can help give your car a boost and prevent you from being stranded far from a charging station.
Whether there are few charging points around, or they’re out of order, this solution could help you to recover 20% or 30% of range.
This sedan only available in China now, boasts a range of 520 to 740 km, depending on battery capacity. It is expected to be exported soon.
