What’s Bidirectional Charging and Which EVs Offer It?
The reasons shoppers might opt for an electric vehicle are manifold — environmental concerns, avoiding the hassle (and cost) of the gas station or getting the latest tech features are a few motivating factors. Though still in its infancy, bidirectional charging may soon bring even more benefits for owners and EV infrastructure. This emerging technology aims to put an EV’s battery to work, whether it’s to power a home during an outage or send power back to the grid en masse. Read on to learn what bidirectional charging is, which vehicles offer it today and what the future holds.
Related: What Is Level 1, 2, 3 Charging?
What Is Bidirectional Charging?
Most EVs currently use unidirectional charging, a process in which alternating current electricity is taken from the grid and converted to direct current to charge the car’s battery.
Bidirectional charging, on the other hand, turns charging into a two-way street: Electricity can flow from the grid to charge the vehicle, or it can flow from the EV back into the grid or into a home, office building or appliance. With bidirectional charging, DC power must be converted back to AC through a dedicated charger or an inverter within the vehicle itself.
V2G, V2H, V2L: What’s the Difference?
Bidirectional charging enables vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging. As EV adoption grows, V2G aims to supply substantial amounts of electricity from vehicle batteries to balance energy demands. Additionally, the technology can optimize energy usage based on the time of day and utility costs; for example, during peak energy usage times, EVs can be used to return power to the grid, and they can be charged during off-peak times at a lower cost.
Meanwhile, V2H takes the energy from the vehicle’s battery and uses it to power a home or building. This lessens the demand on the grid, and it can act as a backup during a power outage. V2H can also offer potential savings if the EV can supply power to the home during peak hours when utility rates are highest.
A third type of charging, vehicle-to-load (V2L), allows the vehicle to provide AC power to charge home appliances and large electronic devices; unlike the preceding methods, however, V2L does not require a dedicated bidirectional charger. Instead, it uses an integrated inverter to send power to the device.
According to Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, the value of bidirectional charging will be realized in the coming years as more EVs offer the technology and the infrastructure is better able to support it.
“By the end of this decade, this will be the norm rather than a special feature,” Fiorani wrote in an email to Cars.com. “As more and more homes and apartments are built or upgraded to integrate vehicle charging, the benefits will be obvious, especially after a power outage where a refrigerator, sump pump or other necessary item needs to run.”
EVs With Bidirectional Charging
While the potential benefits of bidirectional charging are numerous, the EVs that offer the capability today remain limited, though the list of them is growing. For Hyundai, the technology serves as a gateway to more advanced bidirectional charging as the automaker pilots V2G capability software overseas.
Nissan Leaf
In 2022, Nissan approved a V2G bidirectional charging system for the model-year 2013 or newer Leaf through a partnership with service provider Fermata Energy. When the EV is plugged into the Fermata Energy charger, the charger monitors the building’s electric load and can use the Leaf’s battery to power the building when energy demand and costs are highest. The 2024 Leaf offers V2X charging capability, meaning it can provide power to your home, the grid, another EV or an appliance; all that’s needed is a compatible V2X device.
Ford F-150 Lightning
The Ford F-150 Lightning offers V2H for individual owners through its available Intelligent Backup Power charging system. Using an 80-amp charger with up to 131 kilowatt-hours of electric energy storage, the system can power an average home for up to three days with normal charge, or up to 10 days when rationed, according to the automaker’s estimates. The charging station is included with the extended-range F-150 Lightning or can be purchased for the standard-range Lightning. A home integration system for IBP is provided by Ford’s solar energy partner, Sunrun.
Hyundai, Genesis and Kia
Model-year 2024 variants of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Kona Electric; Kia’s EV6, EV9 and Niro EV; and Genesis’ GV60, Electrified G80 and Electrified GV70 each offer V2L capability with high-current outlets that can power appliances or provide backup power when needed. Their shared vehicle platform uses an onboarding charging module that supplies up to 3.6 kilowatts of power to charge large items like electric bikes or camping equipment. According to the automakers, the system can operate a 55-inch television and air conditioner simultaneously for over 24 hours. Appliances can be plugged into a 120-volt plug below the vehicle’s rear seats, or an adapter can be used in conjunction with the external plug.
Jeep Wrangler 4xe
The plug-in hybrid drivetrain on the popular Jeep Wrangler 4xe isn’t just for saving a few bucks at the pump. The Wrangler 4xe’s V2L capabilities are unlocked via the Mopar Power Box, the name for what is essentially a cluster of four 120-volt outlets running off the Wrangler’s charge port. The Power Box features three modes: Battery Mode pulls V2L power directly from the battery, utilizing whatever charge is present at the time. Campers and overlanders looking for extended smoothie-blending sessions and juice for their air purifiers might opt for Generator Mode, which keeps the engine running to power both the battery and the Power Box, and aims to keep the battery at maximum charge. Blended Mode is the best of both worlds, cycling the gas engine efficiently to keep enough charge in the battery for any load from the Power Box.
GM
Buyers of GM’s Ultium-platform electric vehicles are in for an off-the-grid treat provided they’re willing to pony up some cash for the automaker’s V2H setup. Spending $7,299 lands you the GM Energy V2H Enablement Kit and GM Energy PowerShift Charger that allow compatible EVs to power a home for up to 21 days depending on vehicle, state of charge and output. According to GM, the PowerShift Charger is capable of up to 19.2 kW of AC power; the Enablement Kit peaks at 9.6 kW. It’s compatible with both solar and GM Energy’s PowerBank energy storage ecosystem, initially offered in 10.6-kWh and 17.7-kWh flavors.
From model-year 2024, V2H is available on the Chevrolet Silverado EV, Equinox EV and Blazer EV (with software update); GMC Sierra EV; and Cadillac Lyriq (also with software update). The automaker says the upcoming 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ and Optiq will also support V2H. The GMC Hummer EVs Pickup and SUV are capable of V2L but lack V2H, though we suspect future refreshes and updates will bring these behemoths in line with their zappy V2H compatriots. For now, 2024 Hummer EV owners can find solace in the Power Station attachment that provides up to 3 kW of power, a similar setup to that found on the Silverado EV and Sierra EV.
Lucid Air
In the same spirit as truck drivers towing mired cars from snow banks during blizzard conditions, the Lucid Air’s RangeXchange function allows the luxury all-electric sedan to charge other EVs. Under the right conditions, the Lucid’s Wunderbox accessory can route up to 9.6 kW to another EV, enough for an average range gain of 24 to 40 miles per hour, according to the automaker.
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Although a plug-in hybrid rather than a pure EV, the 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV’s range-topping GT trim offers standard V2L charging with two standard 120-volt AC power outlets inside that supply 1.5 kW of power for camping gear or household appliances. A new generation of the Outlander PHEV debuted for the 2023 model year, and the latest-gen Outlander PHEV’s range-topping SEL trim has bidirectional charging ability thanks to its CHAdeMO plug, but the capability requires extra equipment.
Volkswagen ID.4
After teasing the functionality for a few years, VW’s 2024 ID.4 now offers V2G and V2H capability, with the automaker claiming output that can power an average home for “up to two days” depending on demand and load. There’s a catch, though: As of right now, only ID.4s with 77-kWh battery packs and ID. Software 3.5 or newer offer bidirectional charging — but like other EVs, we expect the function to expand with future refreshes and model updates.
Tesla Cybertruck
Leave it to EV OG Tesla to have among the most robust bidirectional charging tech on the market (even if it’s hesitant to do so). The iconoclastic Cybertruck is the first of its family to offer bidirectional charging, with a heady combo of V2L, V2H, and V2V functionality that Tesla says can charge another car, power up to 9.6 kW worth of appliances and accessories, and juice your home with up to 11.5 kW of power for up to three days.
Though it’s still not convinced V2X is the way to go, reports indicate future models from the automaker — including the more mainstream sedans and crossovers — will incorporate the technology.
Fisker Ocean
While Fisker has promised plenty over the past few months, the forthcoming bidirectional charging capability of its Ocean SUV is one of the most hotly anticipated. According to the automaker, the PowerBank function will allow the Ocean V2V and V2L abilities, though Fisker has yet to confirm output, limitations and true availability — or if it will even be rolled out, as the company has declared bankruptcy.
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The Future: V2X
In addition to the above examples, many EV manufacturers are actively working to adopt vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capability, which integrates all of the bidirectional charging types outlined above. Hyundai is running two pilot programs in Europe to test V2G charging software on modified versions of the Ioniq 5; in 2021, Volkswagen promised to add bidirectional charging to all ID models equipped with a 77-kWh battery; and in April 2022, Automotive News reported Ford, GM and Lucid joined the Department of Energy’s coalition as part of an effort to design a plan for widespread V2X infrastructure.
According to Fiorani, once bidirectional charging becomes mainstream, it will revolutionize how EV owners utilize their vehicles. “This is a feature that will be necessary for all EVs eventually,” he notes. “Currently, people think of their cars and [pickup] trucks as separate from their homes — they’re just a method to get to work or to the store. But EVs will become more integrated into owners’ lives just as their phones have become over the last 20 years.”
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Editor’s note: This story was updated July 12, 2024, to reflect the correct voltage below the vehicle’s rear seats of Hyundai, Genesis and Kia vehicles.
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