Can An EV Charge A Home During A Blackout?
Electricity blackouts aren’t quite common in Malaysia but when they do happen, pose a significant inconvenience, especially at night. Currently, the obvious solution to tackle such a crisis is to use a petrol/diesel powered generator to keep essential electrical appliances running.
However, since EVs are massive battery banks on wheels, could they be used to supply homes with electricity during a blackout? Yes, this can be done. In fact, a neighborhood in the US managed to plug their electric vehicles into the power grid to power their homes during a blackout.
However, you can’t simply plug your EV into the power outlet during a blackout and expect something to happen. That’s because you need two things before attempting to power your home. First, your EV needs to support bidirectional charging, also known as vehicle-to-home technology.
This allows the vehicle to supply power from its battery pack, back to the charger that is connected to the power mains. Second, your home electricity supply needs to have the same home charging platform that can receive power from an EV. A Tesla Powerwall is an example of such a system.
Tesla’s Powerwall lets you plug in your compatible Tesla vehicle and have its power sent to your home depending on available charge levels. However, it would be best to find out if your EV can channel power back to your home before purchasing the vehicle-to-home charging equipment.
According to the Journal of Engineering Science and Technology at Taylor’s University, a study in 2017 found that an average Malaysian home uses 21.9kWh and 25.8kWh of power on weekdays and weekends, respectively.
Some of the cheapest EVs available on the market like the BYD Dolphin Extended has about 60.48kWh battery pack, which is more than enough to power a home for a few days. The higher the battery capacity the longer the duration it can supply electricity to a home.
How much power an EV can transfer from its battery pack to a home varies and doesn’t necessarily equate to the overall battery capacity rating. In addition to this, power drawn from appliances like refrigerators plays a key role in deciding how long an EV can power them before fully depleting its battery charge.
For example, Ford’s F-150 Lightning can supply up to 9.6kW to a home using its own proprietary home backup power system. The standard variant has a 98kW battery pack while the extended range version has a 131kWh one.
The more power consumed in a day by the user, the quicker the battery drain on said EV. However, if you choose to only run the basic, essential appliances, you could weather a blackout that lasts several days without breaking a sweat.
