Powering Your House with an EV During an Outage

Power outages are extremely inconvenient and disruptive to day-to-day life. With the rise of remote work, power outages can negatively impact professional productivity as well. During an outage, many will resort to generators which can be cumbersome, but what if your EV could send power from its battery back to your home to keep the lights on?

Bidirectional Charging

That’s one of the intents behind bidirectional charging. Many are familiar with one-direction charging where energy is sent from a home to the EV - with bidirectional charging, energy can be sent in both directions. 

When an EV charges, it captures energy that is then stored in the battery to propel the vehicle. With bidirectional charging, the stored energy in an EV’s battery is leveraged to send power from the vehicle to another source. 

The primary categories of bidirectional charging are:

• Vehicle-to-grid (V2G): Here the EV strategically supports local power grid needs by sending power to the grid during peak usage and recharging during off-peak usage. This method relieves pressure on energy consumption by limiting the stress on the grid.
• Vehicle-to-home charging (V2H): Alternating power flow can once again be leveraged during demand fluctuations but at a smaller scale – such as by sending power to the house during peak times and recharging from the house during off-peak times.

V2H not only reduces reliance on the power grid but increases a homeowner’s energy independence during an outage. While V2H or V2G charging can minimize grid stress day-to-day, those occasions when there’s a power outage as a result of a storm or a grid issue are when EVs can truly shine by turning on the lights, appliances, and HVAC at your home.

Which EVs currently offer Vehicle-to-Home charging capabilities?

Ford F-150 Lightning

The Ford F-150 Lightning was the first EV in the US to offer the capability to direct electricity from the EV’s battery to the house. Bidirectional charging capabilities are delivered through the Lightning’s “Intelligent Backup Power” feature which claims to power a properly equipped home for up to 10 days during an outage assuming a 30 kWh energy use per day.

To make this a reality, the required equipment includes:

• An 80-amp Ford Charge Station Pro which delivers bidirectional charging capability and is standard on the extended-range F-150 Lightning, but is a $1,310 option on the standard-range truck. 
• A Home Integration System which includes a Delta Bi-Directional Inverter (BDI), Delta Microgrid Interconnection Device (MDI)/Whole Home Backup (WHB), and a Delta Accessory Battery Pack. This system can only be purchased through Ford’s preferred supplier Sunrun. Ford advises working with Sunrun throughout the process and notes that this will require local permits and utility coordination. 
• A 100-amp indoor or outdoor circuit hardwired to the home is also recommended. 

Once these requirements are met, Lightning owners can disconnect the home transfer switch from the grid to begin powering their home during an outage. 

The Ford Pass App communicates outage detection, system status, energy reserve preferences, power restoration, and other details to Lightning owners.

Tesla Cybertruck

The Tesla Cybertruck is currently the only Tesla model available with Powershare which enables the vehicle to leverage the battery to deliver V2H power. Based on an estimate of 30 kWh energy use per day, Tesla claims that Powershare enables the Cybertruck to power a home during an outage for three days versus Ford’s estimate of 10 days for the Lightning. 

There are three installation options for Powershare:

• The first option sends alternate current power from the vehicle’s onboard inverter through the Universal Wall Connector to the Tesla Gateway 3V to the load center to power the home during an outage.
• The second option entails using the Tesla Backup Switch which involves a quicker and less expensive installation but is not available in all regions. 
• The third option involves using Tesla’s Powerwall system. For those already equipped with Powerwall, which is a home battery that stores energy, further installation is not needed. Unlike the first two options, Tesla Gateway 3V is not used and the Wall Connector is used in place of the Universal Wall Connector.

Powershare delivers 11.5 kW of continuous real power and the Cyberhome app provides customers with energy status and statistics.

Upcoming EVs expected to offer Vehicle-to-Home charging capabilities

While Ford and Tesla V2H systems are already on sale, General Motors has a number of upcoming models that are expected to offer bidirectional charging through its GM Energy subsidiary. 

There are two important features required to make bidirectional charging from the compatible GM EV’s battery a reality:

• The GM Energy PowerShift Charger is a $1,699 option that enables power to flow bidirectionally when coupled with the GM Energy V2H Enablement Kit. 

• The GM Energy V2H Enablement Kit is $5,600 when purchased separately and includes The Home Hub which manages the home’s grid connection and disperses energy as backup power. There’s also the Inverter which converts direct current into alternating current as well as a Dark Start Battery that retains adequate low-voltage power to “jump-start” the system during an outage. 

These two items can be purchased as part of the GM Energy V2H Bundle ($7,299). With proper installation, these systems can power a home during a blackout and leverage Smart Schedule to charge during off-peak times. Similar to Ford and Tesla, GM will also provide an app for users to oversee and regulate energy flow. 

This technology is available on the Chevrolet Silverado EV RST and GMC Sierra EV Denali, as well as on the Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, and Cadillac Lyriq once the prerequisite software update is installed. 

Not be outdone, Ram will introduce their 1500 REV for 2025 which features vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid charging. The upcoming Volvo EX90 and Polestar 4 are also expected to offer bidirectional charging as well. 

Vehicle-to-Load Capabilities

Another innovative charging capability is vehicle-to-load(V2L) where the EV exports energy to charge other equipment or appliances. V2L charging capability is offered on the Genesis GV60 and Electrified GV70, the Hyundai Kona EV Limited, and the Kia EV9 among others. 

Summary

With vehicle-to-home charging capabilities, EVs can power your home to limit disruption during an outage. While there are only a few models available today providing V2H charging, there are many upcoming models expected to offer this capability. As always, owners should research local policies, attain necessary approvals, and use licensed electricians and installers to leverage this technology as safely, effectively, and efficiently as possible. 

Matt Yantakosol is a lifelong automotive enthusiast and former consultant focused on the consumer aspect of the industry. He has traveled to New York, Detroit, Chicago, L.A., Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, and Tokyo Auto Shows to track and observe the newest industry innovations. In addition to JDPower.com, Matt's writing has appeared on Pcarmarket.com.

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