Can You Power Your House (V2L) With Your EV? Part 2

Just a quick disclaimer: I'd like to mention that I do not possess any professional knowledge or claim to be an electrician. I'm simply delving into the potential applications of electric vehicles for certain situations. If you're interested, feel free to check out the first installment of this series on V2L capability.

Delving further into the potential of using your electric vehicle's Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) feature to supply power to your home, it appears that there might be legal concerns if you push the boundaries. These seem to relate to utilizing bidirectional charging to link up with the electrical grid. Presently, this option seems limited to South Australia.

Experiments persist in Canberra, Australia's main city. From June 2020 to March 2023, a test supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) was conducted in the local market of Canberra. The objective of the Realising Electric Vehicles-to-grid Services (REVS) trial was to assess the capability of technology. During this trial, 51 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles from the Australian Capital Territory Government fleet were utilized. These vehicles, when connected, supplied electricity back to the grid.

Yes, it is true that each state and territory in Australia has varying electrical regulations, much like the differences in rail gauges.

A Facebook user mentioned that currently, it is not allowed to use the high voltage battery of an electric vehicle to power your house. This means that you cannot use the battery to run devices like air conditioning, lights, hot water, and so on, by using an inverter. However, there is an option called V2L (vehicle to load) which works similar to a generator that can be used to power your house during a blackout. In such situations, it is usually necessary to turn off certain circuits to avoid overloading the power source, unless an electrician has already installed a switch to handle this. Your car must have an inverter that is capable of supplying 240V power.

And coming from the United Kingdom, there are opinions regarding the MG 4.

I've noticed that some people in the MG4 UK forum have set up the MG4 battery as a backup power source that can be manually switched from the grid to the battery. Despite MG advertising that the car can only discharge at 2.2kW, testing has revealed that it can actually handle a draw of 7kW, which makes sense. The car is equipped with a built-in inverter of 7kW, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be able to discharge at that rate. Additionally, I believe this ability is not limited to just the MG4; the MG ZS EV could potentially do the same, provided it is properly set up by a competent electrician.

Absolutely, the MG is capable of accomplishing this task. You have the option to obtain a cable for Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) purposes from MG themselves or other independent sources. This cable can be utilized effortlessly to supply power to different electronic devices, such as plugging them into a power strip or a comparable device.

Regarding the idea of utilizing your car as a mobile power source for your household... When the electric vehicle charging system was set up at my place, I inquired with the electrician about the feasibility of powering my home with the car. The electrician confirmed that it is indeed achievable but would necessitate the installation of extra equipment. However, this option is not quite practical for an average consumer due to its high cost and the current lack of advanced technology required for widespread implementation.

A different viewpoint about the situation in South Australia points out Quasar as the only choice for a complete connection between a vehicle, house, and the grid. According to them, the option currently available is to combine a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle with a Quasar 1. However, Quasar is already working on their second model, which is expected to be released around 2025. They claim that the Quasar 2 has the capability to convert your electric vehicle into a highly efficient energy storage system, capable of providing power to your home with cleaner and more affordable energy for a period of up to three days. Their advanced software and user-friendly app make it simple for you to access your energy whenever you need it, whether it's for fast charging or living more sustainably.

Next up, we have Tom Brady hailing from Central Queensland. We Australians are a clever bunch. Here's how he customized his Kona: "Never give up, even though the Kona doesn't come with this feature, where there's a way, there's a will. We connected a 12v inverter to our Kona and set it to utility mode, which keeps the DC-DC converter on. This allows us to draw up to 100 Amps or roughly 1300W. We've been able to run a fridge, freezer, internet router, and a few lamps for hours on end, and it hardly impacts the battery capacity. We calculated that we have a backup power supply in our garage that could last between 1 to 2 weeks."

Experiment on epro. Conducted a trial run and utilized a waffle iron to prepare delectable toasted sandwiches as a delightful dinner option, successfully appeasing the children. Image courtesy of Tom Brady.

Voltage remains steady. Despite a power consumption of 1.89kW, the DC voltage stays consistent at 13.30V. Image provided by Tom Brady.

Photo provided by Tom Brady showing the car's monitor during the previous examination.

According to Tom, in the more secluded areas of Queensland, power outages occur frequently and often last for extended periods of time. As a result, many individuals have opted to have an electrician install a switch that allows for a seamless switch between the main power source and a generator, as well as a socket to connect the generator. This ensures the grid is safely disconnected while enabling the use of an internal combustion engine (ICE) generator or an electric vehicle (EV) equipped with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities without the concern of sending power back to the grid. Notably, an EV with V2L functionality can achieve this noiselessly.

The generator or electric vehicle's V2L capacity determines whether it is necessary to disconnect the hot water, oven, stove, and pool pump. Nevertheless, it is highly advantageous as it allows a secure supply of power to essential appliances like fridges, lights, and internet. Even today, my parents who reside inland of Gladstone frequently rely on their generators when faced with power disruptions.

You can locate pictures of transition switches here.

As explained by an individual specializing in electrical systems:

I haven't detached my V2L cable thus far (just got the car around ten days ago). However, as an electrician, I can share some ideas. According to a brief inquiry on Google, it's mentioned that the BYD Atto 3 has a rating of 16A or 3.3 kW.

It has the capacity to generate enough electricity to supply the energy needs of a single-phase household.

It seems like there is still much left for us to discover as we continue to find more valuable purposes for our electric cars. It brings to mind the tales I've come across about the pioneers of internal combustion engines. No matter what you decide, prioritize your safety and entrust the job to a qualified expert.

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