While Back to the Future predicted we would have flying cars––which we actually do––other innovations that have been created have proven to be more pragmatic. The idea of an integrated solar home and car system seems vague and intangible, but it’s actually already come to fruition. Your car can actually power your home, and your home can power your car. At the International Motor Show, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation presented its Dendo Drive House which features mutual power-sharing between a home battery and an electric vehicle.
Laden with solar panels, a home battery, and a bi-directional charger that will allow the flow of energy between the home battery and the car and vice versa, the Dendo Drive House is the answer to the eco-conscious consumer’s prayers.
What it can do
Should there be any power failure, the car battery can help power the home. The homeowner can even charge the car at night then use it to power appliances during the day, which will actually save them lots of money on their energy bills. It’s compatible with pure electric as well as plug-in hybrid vehicles such as the Engelberg Tourer and Outlander PHEV, which expands your options even further. Mitsubishi notes that the Dendo Drive House also offers professional installation and maintenance services. Other companies have also begun adopting the technology of a bi-directional car charger. OVO Energy of the UK announced last year that they were successfully able to install a domestic vehicle-to-grid, or V2G charger in someone’s home––a first in the world. Elon Musk has likewise explored the possibility of bringing back Tesla’s Roadster, which made use of similar technologies, and taking it even further.
A perfect match
In keeping up with its forward-thinking abilities, Mitsubishi Corporation also signed a joint venture with HomeServe last year. For its part, HomeServe is a home repair and improvement company serving more than 1.8 million customers across the UK as well as all over the world, making them one of the most used utility assistance brands around. This agreement comes in the form of HomeServe Japan Corporation, which will work on providing home emergency and repair services for appliances and other utilities. As a membership-based model, these services will be available on-demand to its residential customers. This global partnership stems from the companies’ mutual desire to produce successful utility strategies for their consumers to continue to believe in and support.
Unified solutions
Partnerships between big names, and even partnerships among certain ideas, have produced some of the most innovative and creative solutions that were once just the stuff of science fiction. In our fast-paced world, the demand for both efficiency and environmentally friendly practices runs deep. The former comes as a must for consumers who have been conditioned to the speed and turnover by which the world moves because of digitalisation. The latter arises as a need, given that these very technological advancements have taken their toll on the environment.
When addressing pressing issues, using an environmental lens helps fill in the gaps to create solutions that were better than what may have been previously conceived. As we mentioned on ‘Building Skills for Sustainable Futures’ – the generosity of customers who both buy green electricity and also invest in our community shares, we are able to fund projects for the collective good, like sustainable construction. This is another landmark step toward tackling the environmental issues associated with construction in the UK.
If there is one thing we can takeaway from these points, it is that perhaps combining different modes of expertise is the solution to keeping up with the demands of our ever-changing landscape.
Article specially written for gowerpower.coop by Ailene Burner
