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by jcgrillo 554 days ago
I'm not super convinced about the V2H stuff, tbh. I only need backup power at home to keep the heat on when I'm not there. If I'm not there almost certainly my car isn't either. When I am there I can light a candle and run the wood stove to keep the pipes from freezing. So a stationary battery bank for my solar system makes a lot more sense than trying to use my car for that purpose.
2 comments
ghaff 554 days ago
And probably a backup generator with a big propane tank is a better solution.

I've thought about it over the years and if I was regularly away for long periods in the winter I'd probably have spent the money. As it is, I cross my fingers and generally try not to have long periods away from my house in the winter.

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floxy 554 days ago
Natural disasters that cut power (like hurricanes)?

https://electrek.co/2022/11/08/electric-vehicles-provide-bac...

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jcgrillo 554 days ago
Right, what I'm saying is in such a scenario I only actually need power if I'm not home and it's below freezing.
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floxy 554 days ago
Ah. I think lots of other people would like to keep their refrigerator and freezer and appliances running in the event of multi-day power outages when they are at home, even when it is not freezing (like in Florida, for example).
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jcgrillo 554 days ago
Sure, but if you're already going to make the investment in the grid cutoff, inverter, etc then the fact the car could in principle act as a battery/generator is a little gimmicky. Might as well also get a generator (or battery if you've already got solar). Then it works automatically whether you're there or not.
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floxy 554 days ago
The vehicle already has the inverter, using the same active rectifier hardware in the on-board charger. People want to have electricity when they are at home. And they are home a lot of the time. So I agree that it is a very niche case to want to have a backup system to provide electricity to your house during a natural disaster when you are not even there.

https://gmenergy.gm.com/for-home/products/vehicle-to-home-so...

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jcgrillo 554 days ago
OK but you still need a grid cutoff--you absolutely can't put power into the grid when it's down. It's not a huge investment, but it's not nothing.
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