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ZDNET's key takeaways
- Half of EV owners already use bidirectional power regularly.
- Three of four future EV owners are open to investing in a V2H setup.
- Most V2H car owners bought their EVs with backup power in mind.
Imagine you're halfway through making dinner on a weeknight when the lights flicker and the power goes out. While the abrupt end to your home chef experience is inconvenient, the bigger issue is that your gas furnace still needs electricity to run, and it's supposed to drop into the 20s overnight.
Now imagine that while everyone else is rifling through their junk drawer for flashlights and batteries, you glance at your phone and see a pop-up notification that your EV has switched to backup mode just as all your lights turn back on.
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This is the promise of vehicle-to-home (V2H) power, an advanced bidirectional EV charging setup where the vehicle both draws power from the grid and delivers power to your home's electrical panel.
It's a pretty enticing concept for a lot of us, and a very new one. According to data from research firm Habitelligence, more than half of homeowners had never heard of V2H before. Upon learning more about it, though, the vast majority of the sample showed significant interest.
V2H? Never heard of it… and now I want it
Despite the interest, there is some murkiness among homeowners about what genuinely constitutes V2H versus other bidirectional charging capabilities. While a majority of EVs on the market today do have the ability to send battery power in the other direction, and in a more substantial way than just a USB charging port for a smartphone, only a smaller (albeit growing) subset boasts true V2H capability -- more on this shortly.
Most people active with bidirectional charging today are using their EV as a (very) portable battery-powered generator.
Vehicle-to-other-stuff
In the loosest sense, we've had "bidirectional power" for decades. With the right adapter, I could charge my iPhone from the cigarette lighter of a '71 Plymouth Barracuda (I can dream…) or even rig up an inverter and some jumper cables to use it as a makeshift gas-powered generator.
Nowadays, EV owners have quieter, cleaner use cases for tapping into their car's power source – and more of them. Somewhat forgettably dubbed "vehicle-to-load (V2L)," where "load" basically refers to individual electrical loads from household devices and appliances that plug into an outlet, this capability is quite common.
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According to Habitelligence research, 71% of EV owners report having V2L capability, and almost half of them say that they use it "frequently," on a monthly basis or more often. Usually configured as an actual 120V outlet attached to the EV itself, V2L capability can be used in outages to power certain appliances, at a job site for those using power tools, or for a host of leisure activities from camping to tailgating. Or, if you're Daniel, a homeowner from Minneapolis who I interviewed, who offers technology repair and restoration services, you can take it to a whole new level.
"With my Rivian I carry a full office – modem, routers, scanners, even a small 3D printer – and power it curbside from the truck. No gas generator, no fumes, no hassle. I've even set up a similar system for my mom so she can 'glamp' comfortably," he said. "Vehicle-to-load has turned my EV into a quiet, mobile power source that lets me say yes to more work on the spot."
The vehicle-to-home 'buy-in'
An EV configured with bidirectional charging can function very similarly to a gas generator, just quieter and without the need for fuel. However, it bears repeating that not every household system or appliance can be safely unplugged and connected to a portable power source. Several critical home systems (e.g. heating, cooling, well pumps) can only be backed up reliably and safely from a source that has been professionally installed and connected to the home's electrical panel. This type of whole-home power is what draws a growing number of households to automated home battery backup, the same fundamental concept behind V2H.
There is, however, a "slow-your-roll" checklist of V2H considerations for those like me who tend to get overly excited about technologies like this. Aside from any household idiosyncrasies or local regulatory constraints that might be a factor, here are the major requirements to make V2H operational:
- An EV with true V2H capability: Onboard circuitry and power management to support a reverse flow of power in the 10-kilowatt range or above.
- Household electrical capacity: Support for a Level 2 EVSE circuit, generally 40–60 A, occasionally up to 80 A. Many current EV owners can already check this box.
- A phalanx of additional equipment: An inverter to produce usable AC power for the home, an automatic shutoff switch to meet safety requirements, etc.
- A trusted installer: Even with some of the bundled EV and equipment packages on offer today, there may be some creative problem-solving involved in making V2H functional in your home.
Aside from the cost of the EV itself and the standard level 2 charging setup and installation that most EV owners opt for, the investment to enable V2H can be substantial. I've spoken with homeowners who have been quoted a few thousand dollars up to nearly $10,000 for the additional hardware alone, not including installation, which can bring it significantly higher depending on the situation.
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The cost and laundry list of requirements is a barrier for a lot of homeowners who consider this, but it rarely tamps down their enthusiasm for the concept. V2H may be in a nascent stage, but it's no longer just an idea -- it's a technical reality. Active V2H users are hard to find, but I spoke with Rachel from the Central Valley region of California, and she wasn't confused about the value it brings to her household:
"We live in a rural canyon with planned shut-offs and wind outages that can last all day. With our F-150 Lightning set up for vehicle-to-home, the house switches over almost instantly, and we just keep going – lights, fridge, freezers, everything," she said. "It's not complicated; it just works. We still use the truck's outlets around the property, but V2H is the peace-of-mind part that keeps life here comfortable and predictable."
V2H today and tomorrow
There is little debate that the end of the federal EV tax credit will slow new EV sales in the coming months and possibly years to come. However, bidirectional power capabilities are starting to add some attractive perks for those considering new or upgraded EVs.
The research shows that V2L has the most use in practice, and V2H is becoming more widespread and appealing. However, additional capabilities like vehicle-to-grid (V2G – sending EV battery power back to the electrical grid in the same way that more traditional solar and/or battery setups can), and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V – one EV sends power to another), are looming on the horizon as both practical, useful, and potentially enticing from an economic perspective.
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In the meantime, broader support for vehicle-to-home bidirectional charging is still a strategic priority for some of the leading automakers. For example, Tesla's current V2H hardware setup is only available for the Cybertruck, but the company has teased out firmware updates that could make other models eligible in the near future. Rivian has declared its vehicles to be hardware-ready for V2H and expects to have charger/hardware packages available soon to enable V2H.
The simple fact, though, is that V2H is a technological thing of the present. It is here, and happening. From large trucks to compact EVs, several models now support V2H. The examples below illustrate a few options across vehicle classes (not an exhaustive list):
- Trucks & Large SUVs: Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevy Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Tesla Cybertruck
- Midsize SUVs: KIA EV9, Chevy Equinox EV
- Smaller EVs: Hyundai Ioniq 5, Nissan Leaf
So the list is growing, and while most owners of V2H-capable EVs have yet to invest in the full setup, others are starting to plan this out more purposefully. According to Habitelligence research, most people who buy a V2H-capable EV do so knowing about the capability beforehand, and a large portion find out about it during the sales process. Only 4% (or so they admit) find out about the capability after purchase.
As much as I'd like to have both an EV and a '71 Hemi 'Cuda, I'll probably opt for the EV first. When I do, I expect (hope) to be choosing from a long list that can both bring me from point A to B, and power my entire home.
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