As soon as a power failure occurs at home, the first thing that comes to mind is the inverter or generator. But what if your car starts running some important home appliance when the power goes out? This may sound a bit strange, but it is possible to do this in an electric car. Some EVs have special technology that allows electricity from the car’s battery to be used to power other equipment. Let us tell you about it in detail.
With the help of this facility, small appliances like fans, LED lights, mobile chargers and laptops can be operated during power cuts. However, this feature is not available in all electric cars. For this, the car needs to support V2L technology. Let’s understand how this technology works and what things can be done with it at home.
What is V2L stands for Vehicle Loading Technology?
The full name of V2L is Vehicle to Load. If understood in simple language, with the help of this technology, electricity can be supplied from the battery of an electric car to external electrical devices. A car battery stores electricity in the form of DC ie direct current. In a V2L system, with the help of an inverter, it is converted into AC, i.e. alternating current, which is used in common household appliances.
After this, the devices can be connected through a power outlet or a special adapter provided in the car. With the help of this, devices like fans, mobile chargers, laptops and LED lights can be operated. Some electric cars have a separate socket for this, while others require the use of a company-supplied adapter.
How long will the fan and light last?
It depends on how big the car battery is and how much electricity you use from it. For example, if you run a 60-watt fan and four 10-watt LED lights, the total consumption will be 100 watts. If all these devices run for 10 hours, approximately 1 unit of electricity will be consumed.
However, it is not advisable to use the entire car battery for home appliances. Maintaining sufficient charge in the battery is important even for driving. Therefore, the time to provide electricity may vary depending on the car’s charge and the usage of devices.
Not every household appliance can be powered
V2L also has a fixed power limit. This capacity may vary in different cars. Many models support a power output of up to 3.3 kW, while some vehicles can output more than this.
It is easy to operate low power consumption devices like fans, lights, laptops and mobile chargers. But before connecting high power consuming appliances like AC, geyser and microwave it is necessary to check their power rating and car capacity. Power consumption exceeding the prescribed limit may cause problems.
V2H can create backup electricity for the home
In addition to V2L, electric cars also have V2H, or vehicle-to-home technology. In this, electricity from the car battery can be supplied directly to the home electrical system. In this way an EV can act as a home backup system.
For this, the home should have a V2H assisted electric car, a special bidirectional charger and the necessary electrical setup. Note that this feature is not available in every EV. So, before buying a car or using this technology, definitely get information from the company about its support and required installation.
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