Bidirectional EV Charging: A Tech That Can Power Your Entire Home

Date: September 05, 2023

Almost every EV car maker is now looking at bidirectional charging as a standard vehicle feature to offer a greener lifestyle to its customers.

Electric vehicles are finally gaining the trust and traction among automobile users. The subsidies, along with mileage benefits, make EV investment one of the smartest moves of today. But now, another critical feature is being added to all EV cars that will completely change how we see them. Bidirectional charging is becoming popular among electric vehicle manufacturers as it doubles as a home or portable load battery.

Major car players, including General Motors, are swiftly rolling out the testing phase of their new EVs to enable the bidirectional charging feature in all of its next segment lots. This feature is gaining viral popularity among EV enthusiasts and is well deserved. 

Currently, only a handful of EVs are running on the roads with a bidirectional charging feature. The Nissan Leaf pioneered this technology and is one of the first car makers to offer it for personal and commercial use. 

What Is It?

Bidirectional charging enables your EV car to transform into a powerhouse that supplies stable electricity to multiple usage avenues. When we charge a vehicle, we convert Alternate Current from the power socket into Direct Current stored in the batteries we use later to use our vehicle. When not in use, a bidirectional charging-enabled car can convert its stored DC back into AC for any outlet that needs it.

It even has multiple usages, of which one can earn you some handsome money. The usages include:

Vehicle 2 Home - A typical EV battery on a full charge can store up to 60-KWH and adequately power a home for nearly 2 days. With this tech, homeowners can also reduce their electricity bills by charging the car during non-peak hours and using it to power the home during peak hours or instead of a DG backup unit.

Vehicle 2 Load - If you are considering camping, taking a bidirectional charging-enabled car with you is like taking a huge powerhouse to light up the entire camp, electric barbeque, and a huge number of party lights, if needed. It can also be used to power medium-heavy equipment in remote locations.

Vehicle 2 Grid - Solar power homes enjoy this benefit and earn back good sums while enjoying a stable electric grid supply. The same functionality applies to EVs, and they can send back power to the Grid to stabilize its flow and get paid for the energy provided.

Does Your EV Have It?

Most probably, no. This technology is still in the testing phase in many major car makers. Although there are a few cars with the technology in place, including:

• Ford F-150 Lightning (V2G)
• Genesis GV60 (V2L)
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 (V2L) 
• Hyundai Ioniq 6 (V2L) 
• Kia EV6 (V2L) 
• Kia Niro (V2L) 
• Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (V2L) 
• Nissan Leaf (V2H, V2G)
• VW ID.4 (V2H)

If the above list does not have your EV’s name, don’t worry. EV car makers are working on offering this feature in new cars and building possibilities to integrate them into the ones already running on the road. Elong Musk was skeptical about this technology, but Tesla has confirmed that its vehicles will have bidirectional charging by 2025.