The list of electric vehicles including bi-directional charging capabilities is short—but quickly expanding. The list grows as car makers show more ways to make the capability useful.
Bi-directional charging can help stabilize the grid by means of vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G) while also helping to provide power to a household through vehicle-to-home (V2H) technology. But bi-directional technology in an EV is also capable of powering other high-power devices such as a refrigerator or coffee maker by using vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology; a feature that is getting more common in the automotive industry.
Nowadays V2L is the most common capability found in many EVs. V2L doesn’t require a bidirectional charger. Instead, a proprietary adapter is used with a charging port, which allows the EV to operate as a portable battery pack with a standard 120/240V power supply. V2L technology can even charge other EVs or an e-bike.
As experts in the energy storage business have said in the past, V2G technology can a be a game changer. The commercial adoption is growing, and, as seen in this gallery, it is already possible to find EVs with V2G or V2L capabilities.
