Power outages cost American businesses about $150 billion annually, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, so having a solution when power goes out is critical. Some electric vehicles allow bi-directional charging, meaning they can receive power to charge their batteries, but can also give power to a home or business when the grid fails.While there are other providers out there, GM Energy’s plan is to do it all in one single solution, making it simple for customers.
GM Energy sells bundle dubbed Ultium Home V2H Bundle that includes a bi-directional charger, an inverter, a home hub, and a dark start battery. This kit can dispense 9.6kW of power and can safely disconnect your home from the grid. Separately, GM Energy also offers a PowerBank to store energy from solar or off-peak grid power in case you want to prepare for the worst.The answer depends on the size of your home and what’s exactly running while your EV is powering it.
During an event in a home in Beverly Hills, California, we experienced how easy it is to use this bundle. The home’s power was shut off, and approximately eight seconds later the Chevy Silverado EV that was plugged to the house took over and powered the home. For now, only GM vehicles can use GM Energy’s technology, but the company is exploring other options in the future.
Typically, if the vehicle’s battery that’s powering the home goes below 20 percent it will stop giving power, but this setting can be changed in the infotainment system. GM Energy’s goal is to make this a seamless transition for GM owners, and while we hope one day we experience this ourselves on our own, this demonstration proved to be quite easy.