Vehicle To Home: All You Need To Know

Vehicle To Home (V2H)

Vehicle to Home or V2H is an electric vehicle (EV) charging technology that allows you to charge your vehicle from the comfort of your home. Basically, it turns your vehicle into a mobile power pack.

For this to work, a vehicle has to be connected via its onboard charger with a power outlet in the house. The car will not only charge itself but can also supply energy back into the grid during peak hours when demand is high.

No additional installation or upgrade cost will be required for either the vehicle or home electrical system as long as they are compliant with specified voltage and current limits. This helps make sure that everything works together safely and without problems. The vehicle should have at least 10kW onboard DC Fast Charging capabilities to qualify.

Some Specifications

Vehicles with a V2H capability can charge from any 120V outlet (typical in the US) up to 240V NEMA 14-50 outlets (typically used in garages on RV sites), while simultaneously provide vehicle power back to the grid. The vehicle can also charge at 500A, which is more than enough to handle even a Tesla vehicle charging 100kWh battery pack from nearly empty to full in about an hour and 45 mins.

For this vehicle-to-home system, the vehicle needs special hardware like a DC fast charger capable of delivering 80% charge within 30 minutes or less and an onboard charger compatible with the current vehicle trend toward large battery capacities. There are also vehicle-specific connectivity and communication systems needed between vehicle and home.

Advantage For Vehicle Owners

In 2016, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted rules that make it possible for vehicle owners to obtain a credit on their electricity bill when electric vehicles are paired with vehicle-to-home (V2H) technology. Financial incentives will accrue when utility companies can reliably capture vehicle charging demand flexibility by developing programs to compensate vehicle owners who charge during off-peak hours or provide regulation services.

At present, there are no start dates yet defined for the V2H program rollout but utilities such as PG&E in northern California, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison have already started working on implementing these changes to their current tariff structures.  The CPUC is also continuing to work on vehicle rules for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications which allows charging of vehicles from the grid during peak hours, vehicle batteries supplying back into the grid when demand is high and vehicle owners receiving a credit on their electricity bill.

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  1. Pingback: A new EV battery from China can travel 1,000 miles on a single charge. - Electrical Blog

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