How convenient would it be to be able to use your car to power your home? This seems like something you might see in a futuristic sci-fi. A shiny hovercraft collects solar power during the day and provides a power source for the AI-operated smarthome at night. While we might be a (small) way off from the hovercraft part of that picture, the solar/car charged home part is quickly becoming a reality.
Vehicle-to-home charging, or V2H, is being introduced as the popularity of the electric vehicle is experiencing historic growth! Right now, a lot of us are seeing that relying on fossil fuels also requires us to rely on trade with global actors we may not always want to support. Electricity and solar offer more flexibility for us as a nation and as individuals. Whether you are a careful planner, ensuring that the next icy storm cutting you off from the grid doesn’t leave you without power, or you just want to save some significant cash from week to week by supplementing your grid use, V2H offers an appealing alternative. Let’s take a look at how it works!
A number of vehicles are already being designed with the capability to integrate with a bidirectional battery that would allow the user to return power to their home or, in some cases, the grid itself. The main thing currently in development is the system by which the home and grid would be equipped to effectively utilize that energy. Basically, your car would serve as a big battery that would hold and distribute unused energy. For example, the new Lighting F-150 is currently capable of powering a home for 3+ days and could probably do so longer if you used the power sparingly. Combined with solar power, this could be a resource capable of powering your entire home and returning some power to the grid. The F-150 would also make a stellar glamping vehicle if you are into bougie camping.
To function as needed, this system would also need to be able to switch back and forth, seamlessly, between the car’s reserves and the grid. This would enable the owner to use the car’s power when they wanted without needing to be an electrical technician just to use this resource. Several cars like the Nissan Leaf and the Kia e-Soul are already equipped with the necessary hardware. Now we just need sophisticated bidirectional chargers to catch up! We are almost there! Several prototypes are in the testing phases and I can’t wait to see where we’ll be in another year or two as big name car companies compete to build what will become the next electric car community standard. Check out the articles below to learn more about what’s coming soon!
Resources:
Bidirectional chargers explained - V2G vs V2H vs V2L — Clean Energy Reviews
Can my electric car power my house? Not yet for most drivers, but vehicle-to-home charging is coming
https://www.dcbel.energy/blog/2022/01/12/new-year-new-bidirectional-cars/