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The latest EV capability — vehicle to load
image credit: © Hyundai
The idea of using electric vehicle batteries to provide power to the home in which they’re being charged or to the grid at large isn’t new, but Hyundai is taking it one step further.
The Korean automaker’s upcoming Ioniq 5 crossover will allow homeowners to power almost anything that can be plugged into a wall socket, according to an article by Rob Stumpf for Popular Science.
The Ioniq 5 will feature two outlets that support what Hyundai calls vehicle-to-load, or V2L, functionality. One is inside the car in case you really want to microwave some popcorn while driving and the other is at the charging port and can be used while camping or in case of a blackout. Hyundai says the Ioniq 5’s battery can power a mid-sized air conditioner and 55-inch television for up to 24 hours.
Hyundai’s sister company, Kia, recently said its EV6 will have the same capability.
Other electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, have vehicle-to-home, or V2H capability, but they typically provide it through their chargers, not from outlets built into the car.
Volkswagen plans to enable all its MEB-based electric vehicles to support bidirectional charging next year, according to an Electrek article by Fred Lambert.
The more EVs that feature it, the sooner technologies such as vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, can be rolled out. That could allow companies to aggregate plugged-in EVs and use the power in their batteries to provide grid services such as frequency control.
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