V2G Archives - EVWord

I’ve been very outspoken about the potential benefits of bidirectional charging technology. V2G(Vehicle-To-Grid) charging could help massively accelerate adoption of renewable energy like solar without requiring massive battery pack installations. But up until now, very few auto manufacturers seemed interested in the technology, with Nissan primarily leading the charge with their CHAdeMO standard.

But it seems like Audi is looking at the possibility of adding bidirectional charging capabilities to their cars. They’ve partnered with the Hager Group to research the technology and released a fantastic video explaining how it works.

Vehicle-to-Grid technology, or V2G, could completely change the way our power grid operates. So it doesn’t make sense that Tesla, maker of the Powerwall, doesn’t have V2G capabilities on their cars. But Electrek found out that Tesla cars already have this tech, and Tesla just needs to turn it on.

Marco Gaxiola, an engineer working on tearing down the Model 3, told Electrek that the Model 3 already has bidirectional charging capabilities. While it can charge on both DC and AC power, the battery is also able to output AC power.

This could be combined with Tesla’s new Autobidder to basically turn your car into a Powerwall. So why isn’t this tech already enabled? With all the other work Tesla does with energy storage and generation, enabling V2G would only make sense. Why do other manufacturers like Nissan have to take the lead on V2G?

The problem

Tesla has a good reason for not thinking V2G is worth it. This technology will drive battery degradation, and might not really be worth it. Your sole Tesla won’t do much to help the grid, especially since you probably do still want to drive it in the morning.

But when there are millions of Tesla’s on the road, the story changes. Tesla has been very forward-thinking building this technology in their cars when they don’t think it’s worth it now. In a few years, when Tesla is working more closely with power companies and there are more EVs on the road, they could enable this technology.

I just wonder if someday we might see other uses for this bidirectional charging technology. It would be amazing if we could charge from car to car, to give someone a quick charge. Right now there is nothing to do if you get stuck, and it would be nice if EVs could get some equivalent to jumper cables. But for now, Tesla doesn’t seem like they want to do anything with this tech any time soon.

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