Mobility
Polestar Cuts Charging Costs for EV Drivers with New "Grid Rewards" Program
Bild (c) Polestar
Polestar has unveiled an expanded offering designed to significantly lower home charging costs for EV drivers in Germany and France. By expanding its Grid Rewards program through the Polestar Energy platform in partnership with Octopus Energy, the automaker aims to help drivers save up to €300 (approx. $315) annually on their electricity bills.
For over a year, the Polestar Energy app has offered intelligent home charging control, allowing users to specify their departure time and required state of charge. The app then automatically identifies the optimal charging window to minimize costs and capitalize on fluctuating energy prices.
The new Grid Rewards expansion takes these savings a step further. Owners who pair a home wallbox with a smart Octopus Energy plan can reportedly reduce charging costs by up to 50% per session, leading to the aforementioned annual savings.
Polestar has unveiled an expanded offering designed to significantly lower home charging costs for EV drivers in Germany and France. By expanding its Grid Rewards program through the Polestar Energy platform in partnership with Octopus Energy, the automaker aims to help drivers save up to €300 (approx. $315) annually on their electricity bills.
For over a year, the Polestar Energy app has offered intelligent home charging control, allowing users to specify their departure time and required state of charge. The app then automatically identifies the optimal charging window to minimize costs and capitalize on fluctuating energy prices.
The new Grid Rewards expansion takes these savings a step further. Owners who pair a home wallbox with a smart Octopus Energy plan can reportedly reduce charging costs by up to 50% per session, leading to the aforementioned annual savings.
Unlike standard smart charging, Grid Rewards actively manages the vehicle to sustain grid stability. It does this by avoiding peak loads and prioritizing charging when renewable energy availability is high. Participating Polestar vehicles are grouped into a "pool" and managed collectively to coordinate charging cycles without impacting the individual driver's needs.
Polestar suggested that Grid Rewards technology will eventually serve as a foundation for more advanced features, such as bidirectional charging. This would allow the vehicle to not only draw power but also feed it back into the domestic or public power grid during high-demand periods.
While regulatory hurdles currently limit this functionality in Europe, Polestar is actively working toward integrating these capabilities. Notably, the manufacturer already offers a Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) function in California, allowing the car to act as a backup power source for the house.
In a major step toward accessibility, Polestar also announced that models like the Polestar 2 and Polestar 4 no longer require a specialized wallbox to utilize smart charging logic. Once plugged into any home charging station, the vehicle can independently manage charging times based on energy prices and grid conditions. This move is expected to remove one of the biggest barriers to the widespread adoption of smart charging.