[Domebody]

Hoping these state of the art vehicles are equipped with the wiring to be able to provide backup power in the event of a local power outage. I know all about the hurdles erected by the utilities. Can’t use those as an excuse to dismiss these “resources.”

 

[Domebody]

New York’s ConEd gets into the V2G space

A new vehicle-to-grid system at a Brooklyn warehouse feeds energy stored in electric vehicles back into the grid during peak demand.

www.power-grid.com

 

[Riviano]

How much would you be willing to pay for that truck option? I am not willing to pay extra for it because the power grid is very reliable where I live and the truck's existing 120VAC outlets would let me power some essential appliances already.

 

[Domebody]

It should be software code at this point. No extra charge.

 

[4TonBtry]

You can already enroll many/most EV cars in a VTG program with different utilities (we have National Grid in our section of MA). There is software on the back end but it worked with our 2015 BMW i3 so I would presume basic capability is already there. The restriction is principally with the utilities proving they can do revenue recovery / cost recovery by using these vehicles; restriction isn't Rivian, Ford, Volkswagen, etc. Many pilots with utilities underway in California, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and elsewhere to prove out the economics--it seems likely this will prove economic value, and thus become formal programs, within 3-5 years (VTG, that is).

While in the near term we can all just enroll our individual EVs or other distributed energy generators (DEGs), longer term we will need something in the home to be able to manage the call and response with the utility. Potentially this could be your utility panel (see Span.io or Lumin Smart Panels). The huge list of potential distributed end items (smart hot water heaters, EV chargers, Tesla Powerwalls) it's better to enroll a single smart panel than 15 different endpoints, each of which undergoes firmware upgrades and separate login/password/etc. making it a fragile system. Bit outside this thread, but interesting to contemplate!

 

[Domebody]

VTG is part of the long term solution. We need VTH in the interim. Yes, I know about utility obstacles. Most of which are imagined, not real.

 

[sciencegeek]

I'm not sure VTH is so interim. VTG faces real psychological obstacles. VTH is obviously appealing to every homeowner (and renter for that matter) because it's guaranteed to mitigate a power outage. VTG could reduce the number of outages, but once there is one is does not help the EV owner.

 

[Domebody]

When I said interim, I didn’t mean temporary. It’s more like meanwhile. I agree, the world will need VTH for the long term. I see the future built around micro grids. Our EV’s will be an important part of that.

 

[LoudMusic]

It should be software code at this point. No extra charge.

That is incorrect. The power coming from the house and going into the vehicle's battery passes through an AC to DC charger and dumps into the battery. Some vehicles have DC to AC inverters, such as Rivians, but their output is very low amperage and is not tied to the vehicle's charge port.

Some manufacturers are using external charging and inverting equipment to provide the feature you are looking for. Ford's F150 Lightning I believe is an example.

It is considerably more than a software update.

 

[Domebody]

Didn't mean to imply that it was only a software solution. Basically, if Ford can think outside the box then I would expect Rivian to have the same capabilities. Of course you need the wiring and equipment, but that should have been planned all along. Can you imagine a world where you don't have to hang a battery on your wall for backup power and actually can drive the battery to the grocery store and back?

 

[LoudMusic]

Didn't mean to imply that it was only a software solution. Basically, if Ford can think outside the box then I would expect Rivian to have the same capabilities. Of course you need the wiring and equipment, but that should have been planned all along. Can you imagine a world where you don't have to hang a battery on your wall for backup power and actually can drive the battery to the grocery store and back?

Absolutely. And I think that's where we're headed, but will likely be another decade before there's anything like a standard and a reasonable amount of vehicles to choose from that can provide that.

That said, I believe it was Honda that had a demonstration as much as 20 years ago of an all electric home with v2h automobile. Of course everything was proprietary and I haven't heard anything about it since then.

There are some European brands that are also doing v2h but I can't recall which models and I don't recall any of them being available in North America yet.

 

[Domebody]

I have been an early adopter of all things Solar since the early 80’s. See attached. I know how lead times can be dragged out. Japan is setting the curve overseas and the Nissan Leaf is another brand withVTH capability as standard. We should be embarrassed, but mos Americans are too wrapped up in their own little world and remain clueless.

 

[LoudMusic]

I have been an early adopter of all things Solar since the early 80’s. See attached. I know how lead times can be dragged out. Japan is setting the curve overseas and the Nissan Leaf is another brand withVTH capability as standard. We should be embarrassed, but mos Americans are too wrapped up in their own little world and remain clueless. View attachment 7670

 

[Livinginkaos]

I have been using my Rivian to support my off grid system at night. I just plug in the 110v from the truck to the ac input of one of my inverters. Charges at 15a all night. Works fairly well. 220v V2H would be nice, but not the only way.

 

[sciencegeek]

I have been using my Rivian to support my off grid system at night. I just plug in the 110v from the truck to the ac input of one of my inverters. Charges at 15a all night. Works fairly well. 220v V2H would be nice, but not the only way.

How do you charge your Rivian?

 

[LoudMusic]

I have been using my Rivian to support my off grid system at night. I just plug in the 110v from the truck to the ac input of one of my inverters. Charges at 15a all night. Works fairly well. 220v V2H would be nice, but not the only way.

I lived on a boat for about 3 years and it had 240V 50A shore power, along with 2100w of solar for when we were away from the dock. But even with that big of shore connection I usually set it to 120V 15A because we really just didn't use that much power. It was more than enough and the inverter/charger could compensate for any moments of additional use by drawing from the house batteries. It's amazing how little power we actually use throughout a day, but have to have massive 200A circuits in order to handle the momentary spikes.

 

[78624]

While we wait, please critique this idea for emergency power. 1) turn off the connection/main breaker to the grid. 2) get a short HD extension cord, cut the female plug off and wire an HD male plug to the cord 3) plug 1 male to the Rivian 110v and 1 male to the closest centrally located house outlet 4) turn off all 2 pole 240v breakers 5) maintain strict load control, run a box fan some led lighting your router and maybe a tv. Will this work without fire death destruction and warranty violation? The idea is to use you house wiring instead of extension cords from your garage and the associated voltage drop extension cords cause. Please give me your thoughts.

 

[O. horridus]

Get a transfer switch, like you would for a generator.

 

[78624]

While we wait, please critique this idea for emergency power. 1) turn off the connection/main breaker to the grid. 2) get a short HD extension cord, cut the female plug off and wire an HD male plug to the cord 3) plug 1 male to the Rivian 110v and 1 male to the closest centrally located house outlet 4) turn off all 2 pole 240v breakers 5) maintain strict load control, run a box fan some led lighting your router and maybe a tv. Will this work without fire death destruction and warranty violation? The idea is to use you house wiring instead of extension cords from your garage and the associated voltage drop extension cords cause. Please give me your thoughts.

I guess that I need to add that only 1 bus will be energized so only half the lights will work and only half the outlets will be hot.

 

[O. horridus]

Still the same answer.