Electric vehicles not only have the advantage of being tailpipe emissions-free, but they can also supply electricity to your home during a power outage using their bidirectional V2H (vehicle-to-home) charging capability. However, even though you can find EV models equipped with this feature, your options are quite limited if you want to buy an EV to also double as a backup power generator for your home.
Bidirectional charging with V2H is becoming more common, though, thanks to automakers like General Motors, which has announced all its future EVs built on the Ultium architecture will have this feature. Let’s take a closer look at what this means for GM and the industry as a whole.
GM Is Bringing V2H Bidirectional Chargers to Its EV Models
GMannounced that it will include vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging capabilities inits upcoming EVs designed on the Ultium architecture. They are the Silverado EV RST, Blazer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, Equinox EV, GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, andthe Cadillac Escalade IQ.
All these vehicles will allow you to set up your EV to supply energy to your entire house in case of power grid disruptions. Since the backup power is stored in the EV’s big traction battery, having one with V2H makes it aTesla Powerwall alternative. That’s ideal if you don’t want to spend more and buy a separate lithium-ion battery as a source of backup power for your home.
How long should you expect your EV to provide backup power for your home? It depends on the size of the EV battery and your energy consumption at home.
According to theUS Energy Information Administration, the average American household consumes about 886 kWh of electricity per month—this is equivalent to almost 29 kWh per day. In theory, a fully charged 2024 Chevy Silverado EV RST with a 200-kWh battery should be enough to supply power to most households for at least 7 days. Of course, if you experience a power interruption caused by a natural disaster, you could consume the power sparingly and back up your home for up to two weeks.
GM says that V2H charging technology will be rolled out to its EV models by 2026.
Which Other EVs Can Back Up Your Home During a Power Outage?
There are only two EV models on the US market that can supply power to your home during an emergency—the Nissan Leaf and the Ford Lightning F-150. Both can also supply power to the grid, which means they also have V2G (vehicle-to-grid) functionality. With V2G, you could theoretically share electricity with your neighbors during an emergency.
But while V2G is still quite rare in EVs, there is a wider selection of models such as the Rivian R1T, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Genesis GV60, and Volkswagen ID Buzz that haveV2L (vehicle-to-load) bidirectional charging capabilities. In other words, they can power appliances using AC adapters and extension cords. However, they’re not equipped to supply power to your home.
With GM equipping its Ultium-based EV models with V2H bidirectional chargers, EV customers will have more options to choose from. To prepare your home for this, you have to first install an inverter, asmart home hub, a dark start battery, and a V2H bidirectional charger at your house. In addition to that, GM has partnered with SunPower to offer its customers solar panels, which would be used to bothpower the house and charge your EV.
Will Other Automakers Follow Suit?
Other automakers will likely follow suit by introducing V2H bidirectional charging technology to stay competitive. Most major automakers, including Tesla, Lucid Motors, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Honda, have plans to introduce bidirectional charging technology over the next decade.
Beyond that, theCalifornia State Assemblyis debating a proposed law that would make it mandatory for all new EVs sold in the state to have V2H bidirectional charging by 2030. If the bill becomes law, it would help reduce the reliance on gas-powered backup generators in favor of EVs with V2H bidirectional charging technology to lower greenhouse emissions.
California is also the biggest market for EVs in the US, which means most automakers would be compelled to introduce V2H bidirectional charging technology as a standard feature.
EVs With V2H Bidirectional Chargers Offer Many Advantages
As the world is experiencing more frequent power interruptions due to natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, heatwaves, and winter storms, an electric vehicle that is equipped to provide backup power your to home during an emergency could be a lifesaver.
On top of that, you could reduce your energy bills significantly if you charge your electric vehicle during off-peak hours and discharge the power back to your home during peak hours. If you’ve installed solar panels, you could even run your home entirely off the grid while relying on your EV. It doesn’t get better than this!
