Support

If part of the r16 not functioning properly, a Smart Home Installation Partner (SHIP) will be able to perform the necessary repairs. You are right about inverters: they last at least a decade.

We partner with dcbel-accredited Smart Home Installation Partners who are local experts in smart home energy, and will also provide support or maintenance for your dcbel unit.

dcbel r16 will be available to purchase in the UK from June 2022. We encourage you to complete our no obligation reservation form. After completing the reservation form we will contact you to discuss your interest (we aim to respond to all reservation enquiries within 48 hours).

dcbel r16 starts at £5,995 including VAT and varies based on the number and type of EV connectors you select, along with your desired cable length and whether you wish to benefit from the blackout power feature.

dcbel will connect customers with Smart Home Installation Partners (SHIPs) so there is no need to contact them now. Our SHIPs take the time to first understand what you hope to achieve, whether it be a net-zero energy home, partial offset or a minor monthly bill reduction. They will then design a system that fits your home’s unique characteristics, considering factors such as the amount of sunlight your home receives throughout the day, the way it is wired, and the distance between your parking spot and potential installation point, to name a few. We guarantee that your SHIP site visit session will exceed your expectations: they will spend as much time as necessary to ensure all your questions are answered.

A few weeks prior to your planned dcbel delivery, the SHIP will contact you to book a delivery and installation date.

A dcbel unit can be installed and connected in 2-4 hours at a cost to be quoted by the SHIP. Like any available residential energy product on the market, installation costs and complexity can vary based on where you are located and the unique characteristics of your home, like the age and size of your electrical panel, the location where you want dcbel to be installed, your home’s unique configuration and how it was electrically wired when it was built.

All dcbel installations are performed by our accredited Smart Home Installation Partners (SHIPs) who will also be able to install solar panels and any additional storage capabilities you might benefit from. dcbel will pass your reservation details to a local SHIP which will contact you to book a site visit.

dcbel manufactures inverters for solar PV systems but does not manufacturer or install solar PV panels. We partner with dcbel accredited Smart Home Installation Partners who are local experts in smart home energy. They can help you size and plan for your solar PV panels and EV charging system, wire your home and make sure all your energy needs are met.

dcbel r16 is designed for a standalone residence with a single electrical service entrance or flats and apartments with dedicated off-street parking or a garage (subject to suitable dedicated power supply and access arrangements). It should not be installed in a multi-unit dwelling or in a series.

Head over to buy.dcbel.energy to reserve your unit.

Yes. dcbel is typically installed in the garage or on an exterior wall and doesn’t mind the rain, snow or sun.

It’s true! Think of an EV as a massive backup power source on wheels. With dcbel r16, you can leverage this incredible resource to power your entire home for dozens of hours during a blackout.

dcbel r16 is a home energy station that contains a DC bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) fast charger, a Level 2 EV charger, a solar inverter, a stationary battery charger/inverter, and smart home energy management all rolled into one.

This is an additional piece of equipment which should be purchased if you wish to power your home during grid outages either via solar PV self-consumption or from your EV (using bidirectional V2H charging).

dcbel r16 does not support custom integrations with other automatic transfer switches (ATS) at this time. It is designed to communicate with a built-in dcbel ATS only. Sorry about that.

Smart panels are great for monitoring and controlling energy loads and power generation without needing a secondary subpanel or additional hardware like an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS). There is some redundancy between these and our home load sensor, Tempo, which reduces EV charging loads if your home energy consumption is running high. It should be noted that Tempo’s logic prioritizes home loads – it would never shut off one of your home breakers to service your EV charging, for instance. Some smart panels offer this service, which could be useful to homeowners who have large, non-essential loads like a pool, HVAC, heat pump, etc.

Outfitting your dcbel r16 with the optional blackout power kit equips the device with an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) and Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). If you have a stationary battery, you’ll need the smaller UPS (9-minute backup) that comes with the basic blackout power kit. If you do not have a stationary battery, then the bigger UPS that forms part of the blackout power kit will suit your needs.

dcbel r16 comes with a DC fast charging connector for your CCS or CHAdeMO-enabled vehicle. Our Pure DC technology delivers one mile of range per minute of charging while being safer for your battery than conventional DC chargers. Unlike Level 2 chargers that are mostly limited to 7.6 kW of power output, dcbel is not limited by your vehicle’s AC specs and delivers 15.2 kW to your EV. Because r16 is also an inverter for your photovoltaic panels, you can charge your EV with solar power.

dcbel r16 can currently fast charge and solar charge (provided you have solar panels installed) a Tesla through the use of an adapter.

You can charge any electric vehicle via grid or solar power (provided you have solar panels installed).

The ability to use your EV for V2H bidirectional charging to power your home and provide blackout power generation depends on what standard the vehicle is built to and whether the manufacturer wishes to support it. The two most popular vehicles that support bidirectional power are the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. dcbel is currently working with various electric vehicle manufacturers who wish to offer this V2H functionality to their customers. We are genuinely excited about all the new bidirectional-capable vehicles that will soon be hitting the market!

Currently, only an EV that is built to the CHAdeMO standard can be used as a backup generator during a power outage. The most popular compatible vehicle is the Nissan Leaf (2013 model or later). Electric vehicles with an AC J1772 or CCS charging port manufactured prior to 2022 do not allow for bidirectional power flow. Once these standards are formally revised, dcbel hardware can integrate the bidirectional charging protocol changes via a small over-the-air update.

r16 can currently fast charge and solar charge any electric vehicle or PHEV.

Orchestrate is the name of the operating system used to run dcbel r16 algorithms. It is the intelligence that allows r16 to leverage your local time-of-use (TOU) rates, micro-weather forecasting to optimize your energy dispatch based on available sunlight, minimization of battery degradation, and artificial intelligence to reduce your energy costs and carbon footprint based on your charging patterns. Orchestrate automates the decision-making for you, so you’ll never have to worry about whether it’s best to use, store, or sell your power.

Yes, a dcbel r16 equipped with the blackout power kit can charge your EV using solar power during a blackout. The built-in Automatic Transfer Switch and Uninterruptable Power Supply ensures this process can take place safely.

Don’t have solar installed right now? No problem! dcbel r16 does not require a connection to a solar power array, but the option remains open should you wish to install one in the future. Connecting a solar array allows you to power your home and charge your EV with the unlimited power of the sun.

In order to generate and consume power during an outage, you will need a charged electric vehicle (EV) or stationary battery in addition to solar panels. The EV or stationary battery will provide the necessary voltage and frequency references for the solar inverter.

Unfortunately, dcbel is not compatible with microinverters like those used in Enphase systems. dcbel performs the DC to AC conversion using patented PUC5 multi-level converter technology and thus requires a DC input.

dcbel r16 is a home energy station that already includes a solar inverter. This gives you two options:
a. Replace your current inverter with dcbel r16, which would allow you to leverage solar EV charging and take advantage of the full optimization and energy management benefits provided by the built-in Orchestrate OS.
b. Run r16 parallel to your existing solar inverter, as long as it is attached to a separate string or no string at all. While this setup would allow for dual EV charging and blackout power capabilities, you would not be able to benefit from solar EV charging or take full advantage of the optimization and energy management benefits provided by Orchestrate OS.

dcbel r16 can function as a solar inverter for a standard residential solar installation. Please note that your project will require additional hardware, cables and permits.

No, the first generation dcbel r16 has been designed to work with grid-connected homes.

The present maximum load that dcbel can back up is 7.6kW (32A at 240V).

dcbel can work with a 240V single phase or +120/-120V split phase.

dcbel has two 7.6 kW MPPT inputs, but it also allows for 7.6 kW of AC charging which can be fed by solar or the grid. In total, dcbel can manage at least 22.8 kW (3 x 7.6 kW) continuous and above that for max / peak power.

dcbel’s bidirectional power flow feature is built on an award-winning power electronics innovation called the PUC5, short for 5 Level Packed U Cell Inverter Topology. It is recognized as the Best New Approach to Electrical Engineering by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),and it has also been recognized as the world’s only digital bidirectional inverter rectifier with the most efficient continuous power conversion.

In the UK, dcbel r16 should be connected to a 120-volt main breaker panel. Installations do require either a critical load panel or smart panel which can arbitrage critical loads. We will only be installing UL-certified r16 units.

The capacity is 15.2 kW, and the discharge can be up to 15.2 kW, but may be limited by the battery’s capacity.

Read our spec sheet here.

dcbel r16 is a home energy station that contains a DC bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) fast charger, a Level 2 EV charger, a solar inverter, a stationary battery charger/inverter and smart home energy management all rolled into one. Energy storage requires a stationary battery to be purchased separately. dcbel is compatible with all batteries that have a 400V DC nominal voltage like the LG Chem RESU.

dcbel is currently a private company and not seeking outside investment at this time, but we are flattered by your inquiry.

dcbel is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with offices in San Francisco and manufacturing sites in the Canadian province of Quebec.

Our goal is to research and develop technology and design products that will help us fulfill our commitment to making clean, efficient, and sustainable energy accessible to all — because everyone in the world deserves energy without compromise.

dcbel is always interested in partnering with qualified resellers and installers. If you are interested in becoming a dcbel partner, please complete the Partner Form on our website and a team member will be in contact with further instructions.

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