27.2.2021
- Press Release
More flexibility with different charging modes

Soak up the sun with gridX

E-mobility is only as sustainable as the electricity it is powered by. So, climate-neutral mobility requires not only charging infrastructure, but green electricity to run it. If this is generated and consumed locally, it also relieves the strain on the grids and reduces costs. gridX's energy management system addresses precisely this issue and creates a sustainable and economical alternative with regional solar energy generation and consumption.

Basically, an electric vehicle charges as soon as it is connected to a charging station. The user has no influence on the origin of the electricity used for charging. Owners of a home with a solar system, battery storage and wall box can store their solar power in the battery and use it to charge the vehicle. However, here too, charging takes place as soon as the electric vehicle is plugged in. The user therefore also has no influence on the charging time, so charging also takes place when no solar energy is currently available. This is particularly unpleasant if solar power is generated again shortly afterwards and this then has to be fed back into the grid at a loss. This happens when there is no demand for energy at that time because, for example, the vehicle is already fully charged, and the household battery has reached its maximum capacity. This is now history thanks to gridX. gridX enables solar surplus charging for electric vehicles in a user-friendly way without compromising mobility.

To ensure charging with one's own solar power, the inverter and charging point must communicate. gridX enables intelligent communication as well as monitoring and control of the charging process. Customers now can decide for themselves what happens with surplus solar power. Different charging modes can be selected via an intuitive interface.

Manage solar surplus charging using different charging modes:

Pure PV charging - The vehicle is only charged with surplus solar power. This ensures that only self-generated, green electricity enters the vehicle. However, in the worst case, i.e. when there is no surplus, it can lead to no charging at all for a longer period.

Program charging - The user specifies the desired range and departure time. The gridX energy management covers the largest possible part of the demand with solar power until the departure time. If the solar production is not sufficient, the demand is first charged from the household battery and only then is electricity drawn from the grid. The desired range is thus achieved as sustainably as possible.

Minimum charge - The user specifies a range. This is charged as quickly as possible from all available sources. This ensures maximum user comfort, but sustainability is not considered here. It can also happen that only electricity from the grid is charged.

The energy management of the gridX solution enables users to charge sustainably without having to limit their own comfort. Customers have full control over charging processes as well as their own solar power and thus have the sustainability of mobility in their own hands.

About gridX

gridX is Europe's leading smart energy company based in Aachen and Munich. With its IoT platform XENON, gridX enables manufacturer-independent monitoring and management of distributed energy resources. XENON allows partners to develop and scale energy management solutions faster than ever before. By partnering with gridX, Fastned is able to install more charging points at sites without the need for costly grid extensions, and the Viessmann Group is able to offer its customers intelligent and integrated home energy management systems.