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A Ford F-150 Lightning and Kia Niro EV have helped one car dealership stay open following a significant power outage with their unique EV feature.
A concern shared regularly amongst electric vehicle critics is the question of what happens when there’s a power outage, and you can’t charge at home. This point has only been stressed further by ongoing concerns around whether power grids can withstand a sudden transition to EVs.
But that said, the concern also works in the reverse, thanks to advances in selected EVs on the market; including a handful already on sale in New Zealand.
An emerging feature that’s quickly becoming a must-have option is vehicle to load, or ‘V2L’ functionality. Also sometimes referred to as ‘bi-directional charging’, this feature effectively enables an EV to be used as a rolling power source.
This feature is most often linked to powering camping equipment while adventuring outdoors, or enabling the use of powertools at worksites. But, this function can also be useful for businesses or homes in the event of a power cut.
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One such outage took place in Northern California late last month following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that left more than two thirds of the properties in the region without electricity. One of those properties was North Eureka car dealership Harper Motors.
Ford has enabled vehicle-to-vehicle charging on F-150 Lightning EVs and F-150 hybrids.
The new and used-car dealership had a solution, though, via two cars stocked on its website; a Ford F-150 Lightning and a Kia Niro EV. Both cars are V2L capable, and both helped the business continue to operate despite the outage at the time.
“Powered by a Niro EV and F150 Lightning, we are open for sales, and parts if you need us,” the company posted on social media, with an accompanying image of each car being plugged in.
The Niro EV can produce up to 1.8kWh of electricity, while the Lightning’s Pro Power Onboard V2L system can produce up to 9.6kWh of electricity.
Aimed squarely at tradies, the F-150’s V2L system is especially impressive. The pick-up includes 11 outlets (including four 120V outlets in the ‘frunk’ and one 240V outlet in the bed).
Ford says that the Lightning’s Intelligent Power Backup system can power the average house for up to three days if required.
The same feat can be achieved by a traditional generator of course, but this relies on one being available in the moment and, unlike a generator, an EV will perform this task silently.
While not every EV offered in New Zealand comes standard with V2L functionality, it is a feature that’s becoming increasingly common.
The country’s cheapest EV, the MG ZS EV, comes with V2L as standard – as does its lead rival, the BYD Atto 3. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 pack V2L functionality, as does the Niro EV in certain trims.
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