From a palm oil alternative and a handheld x-ray to an animal-free egg white and a repurposed airport, the seventh annual awards honor creative solutions to some of the biggest issues facing us today
BARCELONA, Spain – MAY 2, 2023 – Wallbox (NYSE:WBX), a leading provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management solutions worldwide, today has been recognized by Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards, which honor sustainable designs, innovative products, bold social initiatives, and other creative projects that are changing the way we work, live, and interact with the world. Wallbox was awarded “Honorable Mention” in the “Rapid Response” category for Quasar 2, the latest generation of its bidirectional home charger designed specifically for the North American market.
“We are honored to receive this recognition for Quasar 2 in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards,” said Enric Asunción, Founder and CEO of Wallbox. “At Wallbox, we strive to change the world with our work everyday. This award is an acknowledgement that our EV and grid management solutions are leading the way to a greener and more sustainable future.”
Quasar 2 is a forward-looking product for the near future of V2X technology. It is designed to enable EV owners to charge and discharge their electric vehicle to power their home or the grid. This ability allows EV drivers to isolate their homes from the grid and use their EVs for backup power during a blackout.
“Blackout mode” is a first-of-its-kind feature on Quasar 2 that allows EV owners to use their car as an emergency generator in instances of power outages, even those caused by natural disasters. Quasar 2 seamlessly transitions a home to vehicle energy when the power goes out. Depending on the car and energy usage Quasar 2 is expected to be able to power a home for more than three days during a blackout based on an average household’s critical consumption.
Quasar 2 allows EV owners to save on home energy costs through vehicle-to-home (V2H) functionality. In states where power rates are related to demand, users can schedule charging sessions at times when rates are low and discharge their car to power their home when rates are high. Users who have solar panel installations can also store excess energy in their EV during low usage periods and then harness this energy at another time, including peak periods, to reduce their reliance on the grid.
This year’s World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 45 winners, 216 finalists, and more than 300 honorable mentions—with health, climate, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,200 entries across urban design, education, nature, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. Several new categories were added this year including rapid response, crypto and blockchain, agriculture, and workplace. The 2023 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Italy to Singapore to New Zealand.
Fast Company’s Spring 2023 issue (on newsstands May 9, 2023) will showcase some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and forward-thinking companies that are actively tackling global challenges. The solutions cover everything from water reuse in urban environments and modular housing to an initiative combating book bans and a program that spotlights trans-friendly salons around the world.
“It’s thrilling to see the creativity and innovation that are so abundant among this year’s honorees,” says Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “While it’s easy to feel discouraged by the state of the world, the entrepreneurs, companies, and nonprofits featured in this package show the limitless potential to address society’s most urgent problems. Our journalists have highlighted some of the most exciting and impactful work being done today—from housing to equity to sustainability—and we look forward to seeing not only how these projects evolve but how they inspire others to develop solutions of their own.”
About Wallbox Chargers
Wallbox is a global company, dedicated to changing the way the world uses energy in the electric vehicle industry. Wallbox creates smart charging systems that combine innovative technology with outstanding design and manage the communication between vehicle, grid, building and charger. Wallbox offers a complete portfolio of charging and energy management solutions for residential, semi-public and public use in more than 113 countries. Founded in 2015, with headquarters in Barcelona, Wallbox’s mission is to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles today to make more sustainable use of energy tomorrow. The company employs approximately 1,400 people in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
For additional information, please visit www.wallbox.com.
About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
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