Energy management company Emporia Energy is partnering with power electronics company BREK Electronics to develop a bidirectional electric vehicle charger for the North American market. The EV charger would allow an electric vehicle to transfer power to the home and grid, regardless of EV brand. The two companies expect the charger to hit the market in 2023 at less than $1,500.

BREK will develop the power electronics core and hardware, and Emporia will develop the connector strategy and smart home integration system. Emporia already offers a line of energy management technology products like level 2 EV chargers, energy storage systems and smart plugs. BREK is reimagining silicon-carbide based power electronics technologies in a variety of applications, including solar string inverters.

“80 to 85% of electric vehicle charging currently takes place at the vehicle owner’s home, so the EV should really be seen as an extension of the home energy system,” said Emporia founder and CEO Shawn McLaughlin. “This is critical to why we want to make a bidirectional EV charger readily available – being able to transfer energy from the vehicle back into the home or grid will enable widespread adoption of distributed renewable energy without taxing the grid, while generating substantial savings for the homeowner, but there isn’t a cost effective option on the market yet. Our collaboration with BREK will create that option.”

News item from Emporia