Wallbox has completed the first US residential installations of its Quasar 2 bidirectional charger, marking a major step toward turning EVs into home power sources. The Wallbox chargers allow Kia EV9 owners to draw energy from their cars to power their homes.
Six Quasar 2 units were installed in Menifee, California, in a collaboration with Kia America and the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The pilot brought vehicle-to-home (V2H) tech into households, showing how EVs can double as home power sources, reduce costs, and strengthen the grid.
Here’s how it works: Quasar 2 charges compatible EVs and enables them to send electricity back into the home. Homeowners can draw from their car batteries during peak-rate hours to lower utility bills or keep the lights on during outages.
“This is more than a technology milestone. It is a glimpse of a future where every EV is an energy asset,” said Douglas Alfaro, Wallbox’s chief business development officer. “Quasar 2 puts homeowners in control of their energy, helping them achieve resilience, independence, and sustainability in their daily lives.”
The six units are being piloted in a newly built, all-electric neighborhood designed to explore how clean energy technologies can support homeowners and the grid.
Kia says V2H capability is part of its Kia Connect suite, which it will soon roll out for eligible EV9 models. “As we continue to expand our lineup of electric vehicles, projects like this help us showcase how EVs can deliver value beyond mobility,” said Sujith Somasekharan, director of connected car & mobility at Kia America. “Partnering with Wallbox and UCI allows us to show how our vehicles can power homes, reduce costs, and create meaningful environmental impact for families.”
Professor Scott Samuelsen, who leads the project at UCI’s Advanced Power and Energy Program, said “real-world deployment of bidirectional charging is essential for gathering the data, and the technical and customer adaptation insights needed to scale V2H deployment across the grid.”
With these first installations now complete, Wallbox says it’s preparing for wider US availability of Quasar 2.
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