V2H?

Reed_Richards

I've just had a massive quote for unexpected repairs to my car that are needed get it through its MOT, so I may be getting an EV sooner than I had anticipated.  If I buy a Nissan Leaf and the right sort of charger, does that guarantee I can then use V2H?  I really like the idea of using the car battery to power my home, having charged it with my solar PVs or with off-peak electricity.  

Coastalwatch

Hi RR, afraid not, is the simple answer. The Leaf is well capable of importing and exporting to achieve V2H but it's a special unit that is required to achieve this rather than a simple charger. I'm not aware of any that do, but maybe wrong.

I'm currently waiting for Indra to finally respond to my application to join their beta trial where the necessary piece of kit will be installed at our property for which we shall make a contribution of £1600 towards the cost. The trial is for two years after which the unit will be remain with us.

It may seem like a lot of money but what size battery could you purchase for that price! 

Ours is a 40kWh model and suits our needs perfectly 99% of the time. Just returned from a weekend away in Swanage 220 miles each way and one charge in each direction with a functioning charger available on each occasion.

If I were to replace our current model then I'd probably opt for the 62kWh battery version both from an increase in range and storage viewpoint. No idea what the difference in cost might be between the 40 and 62 kWh models but again how much would 22 kWh's of storage battery set you back, so perhaps useful to use as a guide for comparison purposes!

michaels

Lovin our Indra v2h charger but as mentioned above, only available through trials.

Indra are starting to get involved with vw and CCS v2g so hopefully things are coming. Various US companies seem to be starting to make stuff available too so perhaps some of that kit might come to the UK

There is a v2g-h Facebook site where this stuff gets discussed.

Reed_Richards

That's disappointing.  I can understand that you would need a special unit for V2H in addition to charging but I don't understand why these are not commercially available.  What aspect of the kit is on trial in these trials?  

michaels

Not sure if these are currently on sale nor the price (4k was mentioned at one time)

Wallbox Quasar | The first bidirectional charger for your home

Also seems to be a unit called Delta V2X out there but can't actually find it on the companies website.

silverwhistle

There's an MG4 owner on one of the forums who has made his own V2H set up to exploit the car's ability to discharge power, but that is beyond my capabilities. He found on testing it could do the reverse of charging i.e. ~7kW down to 40%.

Not what you what you were asking but I spent thirty quid on an adapter with a three pin socket, which I've tested succesfully with my MG4. So at least I could boil a kettle etc. on a camping trip, or run the freezer during a blackout with a longer cable (or even run a hot air fan..).

Reed_Richards

Yes, there was a TV advert a while back for an electric car which you could use to power devices via a socket but I cannot remember the make or model (although I think I posted something about it at the time).  It wasn't the MG4.  That's V2L (Vehicle to Load) apparently.  

Coastalwatch

Reed_Richards said:

That's disappointing.  I can understand that you would need a special unit for V2H in addition to charging but I don't understand why these are not commercially available.  What aspect of the kit is on trial in these trials?  

Disappointing for sure and afraid I don't know the answer but suspect we should have to assume everything. Hardware, Software, System integration etc.

Frustrating is another description as when I first purchased the Leaf in 2018 I did so for it's V2G/H capability and even tried purchasing such a unit along with the vehicle, only to learn they were not yet readily available. However, other trials have been taking place so hopefully there will be more than one option of unit once they do come on stream.

As michaels mentioned there is an fb group set up for V2G/H which has been running for a year or two so maybe worthwhile having a look in case any morsels of further info can be gleaned there.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/504403987059410

shinytop

V2H is the trigger that will make an EV financially viable for me.  Until then, it's not, and getting less so.  

70sbudgie

I did a chunk of research about V2G/H several months ago as I'm quite keen that our next EV can do this and wanted to understand the cost implications of changing my current set up. Apologies that I no longer have the links - I didn't save them when I discovered that lack of availability of chargers.

But, I read that at the moment only Chademo  has the telecomms for the bi directional communication that is needed for V2H.

There seemed to be a lot more trials for V2G and I hadn't realised how different the technical (telecomms) requirements are between V2G and V2H.

I have to admit, that having made a decision not to get batteries because of the possibilty of V2H, I am a little disappointed by the relative lack of progress.