The possibilities for charging electric cars are increasing rapidly. But that is not all. There are more and more reports about how you can also supply a network with power with your EV and how your electric car can ensure that you have lighting during a camping holiday, even when you are somewhere in the middle of the wilderness.
Since the terms are often used interchangeably, which causes a lot of confusion, we have compared Vehicle to Load and Vehicle to Grid on this page, including the biggest differences, so that you know exactly what the situation is.
What exactly is Vehicle to Load (V2L)?
Vehicle to Load is often abbreviated to V2L and stands for the technology that allows you to power electrical devices from the battery of your electric car. For this you need a V2L adapter that you plug into the charging socket of the car. You can then plug an extension cord, miter box or a plug from a device that you want to run on the battery of your EV.
With V2L, it is always about devices (coffee makers, lighting, a mobile phone charger) that you connect directly to the battery of the electric car thanks to the V2L adapter. It is a single (or double, since some electric cars have a connection in the interior) to which devices can be connected to a 3.6 kW connection.
What is the big difference with Vehicle to Grid (V2G)?
This is not the case with Vehicle to Grid (abbreviated to V2G). This is precisely about supplying power for a complete network, often directly to the meter cupboard, which then distributes the voltage among the users on the network. Of course, we are not thinking of 3.6 kW here, because this power is (much) too low to supply a complete network with power, unless interim storage is used. V2G requires much more technology, because the electric car has to feed the network via the charging station, which involves a much higher power that has to be supplied and distributed and this cannot be done via a simple connection to the contact point.
V2G is therefore not yet possible on a large scale. Bidirectional charging, which V2G falls under, simply requires a number of adjustments, including in the area of charging stations and meter boxes. Smart charging stations have already been developed that support this technology, but the possibility of rolling this out on a large scale is not yet available. However, this is being worked on hard, because the advantages of this technology are clear.
V2L is something that has been possible for a while. There are many electric cars that are suitable to function as a mobile power bank. All you need is a suitable model and a V2L adapter to connect the devices, extension cords and miter boxes to your car.
Why are the terms so often confused?
In both cases, it concerns the electric car that supplies power to external devices or networks. Since these are both new and English terms, confusion easily arises and terms are often used interchangeably or mangled. This does not only apply to these terms, but to many more matters that have to do with electric driving and charging the electric car with charging stations and charging cables .
What is the future of charging via your electric car?
Vehicle to Load is already possible and ensures that many owners of electric cars have an easier time at home and on holiday thanks to the technology. Vehicle to Grid (or Vehicle to Everything, V2X and also Vehicle to Home, V2H) is where the future of the electric car lies. As is known, the energy transition faces major stumbling blocks, with the storage of sustainable energy being a particular problem. If the electric car with the large battery pack can be used as an (extra) home battery, this will become considerably easier and people with solar panels can get even more return from the sustainability improvements.
Until then, we have to make do with the V2L technology and, thanks to the V2L adapters, we have power everywhere we can put the electric car. Of course, you can simply order the adapters for V2L for your electric car online from us. In our range you will find everything you need to optimally charge the electric car and even to use it as a real power bank.
