F
Flyguy
Guest
https://www.cnsnews.com/article/national/susan-jones/buttigieg-electric-vehicles-could-be-very-useful-during-power-outage
Of course, EVs don\'t \"generate\" anything, they are just a big battery. At best, they can be called a \"reserve power source.\" Of course, once you have drained the EV\'s battery it won\'t MOVE. Using it as a power source means it must be connected to the charger which is usually in the garage, the same place that Florida officials said NOT to leave your EV. And the charger MUST be designed for bi-directional use and ONLY Ford has announced such a charger (https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a39493654/can-your-ev-power-your-house/). So most EVs will be useless for this purpose, anyway.
Assuming you own a Ford Lightning AND have a bi-directional charger (which costs FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS), how long can you use the EV as a power source, anyhow? My all-electric home is currently drawing 4KW without the AC or heat pump running. The typical EV has 40 KWh of capacity. This works out to 10 hr of battery backup. The best EV has 100 KWh, meaning it will back up the house for about one day. And these calculations don\'t include the energy losses inherent in power conversion, so the actual times will be 10 to 20 percent less. Homes in Florida have been without power for a week, so an EV is NOT a suitable backup power source. On the plus side, the 98 KWh capacity of the Ford Lightning extended range pickup is seven times the capacity of the Tesla Power Wall. But at $81k for the CHEAPEST extended range Lightning PLUS $4k for the bi-lateral charger AND $1-2k for installation for a total cost of $87k you are FAR BETTER OFF buying a Generac home generator at $5-6k.
Of course, EVs don\'t \"generate\" anything, they are just a big battery. At best, they can be called a \"reserve power source.\" Of course, once you have drained the EV\'s battery it won\'t MOVE. Using it as a power source means it must be connected to the charger which is usually in the garage, the same place that Florida officials said NOT to leave your EV. And the charger MUST be designed for bi-directional use and ONLY Ford has announced such a charger (https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a39493654/can-your-ev-power-your-house/). So most EVs will be useless for this purpose, anyway.
Assuming you own a Ford Lightning AND have a bi-directional charger (which costs FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS), how long can you use the EV as a power source, anyhow? My all-electric home is currently drawing 4KW without the AC or heat pump running. The typical EV has 40 KWh of capacity. This works out to 10 hr of battery backup. The best EV has 100 KWh, meaning it will back up the house for about one day. And these calculations don\'t include the energy losses inherent in power conversion, so the actual times will be 10 to 20 percent less. Homes in Florida have been without power for a week, so an EV is NOT a suitable backup power source. On the plus side, the 98 KWh capacity of the Ford Lightning extended range pickup is seven times the capacity of the Tesla Power Wall. But at $81k for the CHEAPEST extended range Lightning PLUS $4k for the bi-lateral charger AND $1-2k for installation for a total cost of $87k you are FAR BETTER OFF buying a Generac home generator at $5-6k.