Currently, some electric car models can use the energy contained in their batteries to power a home or simply to support the local energy grid.

This technology is known as bidirectional charging (V2G), a solution that enables the energy stored by these vehicles to be used temporarily when plugged into dedicated charging stations.

At present, only Volvo, Nissan and Mitsubishi offer this solution on certain models, but the future Renault 5 electric vehicle will be equipped with the technology, and Tesla is expected to activate it on its various models in the near future.

But what if this energy could be used to charge the battery of another car? That’s the idea of a Chinese manufacturer, which has launched the first electric car capable of recharging other electric vehicles.

Zeekr, the high-end electric brand of the Geely Group, has equipped its latest sedan with bidirectional charging capability, enabling it to recharge other electric vehicles with up to 60 kW of power.

Unlike V2G (vehicle-to-grid), V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) technology allows you to charge another compatible electric vehicle, which can help give your car a boost and prevent you from being stranded far from a charging station.

To work, this technology obviously needs to be integrated into the two cars in question. It has a number of advantages, starting with reduced dependence on the charging station network.

Whether there are few charging points around you, or they’re damaged (or out of order), this solution could help you to recover 20 or 30% of range.

This sedan, currently only available in China, boasts a range of 520 to 740 km, depending on battery capacity. It is expected to be exported shortly, but no information on potential distribution in Europe has yet been released.