It is often about the many advantages of the electric car. Now that the number of charging points in Europe has increased significantly and the possibilities for charging at home or at work are also more than excellent, it is time to look further. For example, to that enormous battery pack in your electric car, which can be used in many more ways, including as a home battery. On this page you can read everything you need to know about this technology, including the most important advantages and disadvantages.
An EV as a home battery: how exactly does it work?
The home battery is a battery pack that is used to store electricity. These batteries are usually found mainly with people who have solar panels, because they need to store the green energy to be able to use it at a later time. When it comes to the electric car as a home battery, the battery pack of the electric car is used as a home battery. The (excess) energy is then stored in the car battery and the battery supplies this energy to the network when you need electricity.
Why use your electric car as a home battery?
There are many reasons to use the battery of the electric car as a home battery. First of all, you probably already have an EV or are considering purchasing one (in the short or long term). This can simply be used as a (particularly large) home battery, while the additional costs for this are minimal. You do need a smart charging station and those simply cost a bit more.
At the same time, you have a perfect way to absorb power outages, you help the environment (partly through a better balance for the energy network) and you can use green energy in an ideal and large-scale way. More than enough reasons to look at this technology and its possibilities.
What is the difference with bidirectional charging, which is also receiving increasing attention?
Many terms are used interchangeably, which partly overlap. For example, the electric car as a home battery falls under Vehicle to Home (V2H), but also under Vehicle to Grid (V2G) when it can be used elsewhere (for example at work). Another technology is Vehicle to Load , which is mainly used by people who go camping and where the car works as a power bank. All these options fall under Vehicle to Everything (V2X) and that means that these cars can be connected to all the options above. That is exactly what bidirectional charging is. The car battery can not only be charged, but also be used as a source of power. Since this allows current to flow in two directions, the term bidirectional (two-way) charging was coined.
Can any EV serve as a home battery?
No, unfortunately not. The car must be suitable for Vehicle to Grid (V2G) because the car must be able to deliver the power back to the network. For many models, a software update in the future may be enough to make this possible, but that does not apply to all models. The EV must be equipped with an inverter that can convert the direct current into alternating current (unless a separate solution is developed for this).
Models that are already bidirectional charging-capable and can be used as a home battery include the Nissan Leaf, Nissan E-NV200, Kia Soul and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. That doesn’t mean other car manufacturers aren’t interested. Big names like Audi have been conducting large-scale research for some time now and will most likely roll out the technology when it’s feasible. Other cars, particularly those based on Volkswagen Group’s shared MEB platform, are already being V2G-capable and could be included in a distributed grid, but only if owners give their consent (and perform the appropriate updates).
What do I need to make a home battery from my electric car?
To be able to make a home battery of your electric car, you need two things. First of all, a smart charging station, because the charging station must also enable traffic in two directions. In addition, an inverter is needed in the car that converts the direct current in the battery to alternating current so that it can be used on the grid to which the car is connected. In addition, the fuse box must of course be in order and have the correct ALS protections to allow this system to work optimally.
4 Strong Reasons Why This Is The Solution For The Future
There are many reasons why the electric car as a home battery is the future. We have listed the 4 strongest reasons for you:
- The battery of an electric car is much larger than the average home battery. An EV battery pack is between 40 and 120 kWh, while a standard home battery does not exceed 15 kWh.
- You already have the electric car and can use it in an additional way. Your car becomes multifunctional, without any additional costs (unless you have to replace your charging station at home with a smart charging station).
- This is the way to store larger quantities of green energy (from solar panels, for example) and use it when you need energy.
- With the increasing demand for electricity, we need to find a way to balance the demand and supply of electricity. Large storage facilities play a crucial role in this and significantly relieve the pressure on the energy infrastructure.
Of course, the environmental benefits must be added to this, although they are already hidden in the list above. When the infrastructure is in balance, the energy is used better, which means that less energy needs to be generated. Also, the green energy from solar panels suddenly becomes much easier to use, which makes grey power suddenly much more unnecessary. Just think: an average household uses about 10 kWh per day. A fully charged battery pack of a modern electric car can store about 100 kWh or more, which means that you have power for a week and a half and do not have to use grey power.
A disadvantage of the electric car is that your home battery
There is an annoying side note to this story and that has to do with when exactly you are home and when you are not. When the solar panels are delivering optimal yield, you are probably at work (and so is your car). That means that you miss the peak yield and it cannot be stored in the battery of your car. Once you are home, the yield is much lower because the solar panels yield less after about 5 hours.
Here are some solutions for each situation and technological developments plus budget, the best solution for each electric car may differ:
- Green charging at work. By having employees charge green while at work, the electric cars can be used as energy storage at work and the remaining power can be taken home.
- An additional home battery. By using a home battery (which can have a lower storage capacity, making it cheaper than a complete home battery) in addition to the EV, the peak output can be stored in the home battery, which then passes the power on to the EV when you return home.
Another disadvantage that is often mentioned is the fact that the car battery would not be full early in the morning when you want to drive to work. That is only the case when the washing machine, kettle and hot tub all draw power just before you need the car. Not only is this very exceptional, it is also forgotten that the EV can always charge in the meantime on the off-peak tariff or the solar panels in the morning. Finally, the chance that you need a fully charged battery (at exactly 100%) is also very small.
Do I only benefit from the EV as a home battery if I have solar panels?
Contrary to popular belief, this technology is also very useful when you do not have solar panels. Admittedly, the benefits are considerably greater with your own PV system, but even without these panels on your roof, you benefit. For example, think of being able to take power during off-peak hours and use it when you need power. The electric car as a storage tank is also a handy way to have power when the power goes out and you have a balanced network at home where supply and demand can be matched at any desired moment.
