For decades, the car has been perceived exclusively as a means of transportation. However, with technological advances and the e-mobility revolution, new possibilities are opening up that go far beyond everyday travel.
Innovative Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) technology enables the electric vehicle not only to consume energy, but also to return it to the home grid. In this way, your electric car turns into a true energy storage system for your home, with capacities of up to 60-100 kWh, enough to power a home for several days.
What is Vehicle-to-Home Technology
V2H is the ability of an electric vehicle to transfer energy stored in its battery, reversing the traditional charging process. While until now charging was a unidirectional flow from the grid to the vehicle, with this technology the transfer becomes bidirectional, allowing the car to power the house when needed.
This innovation represents a paradigm shift in the way we think about both mobility and household energy. The electric vehicle battery, which normally sits unused for most of the day when the car is parked, becomes an active resource in the home energy economy.
Requirements for using V2H
To take advantage of this technology requires specific components that can handle the two-way energy flow:
- Compatible vehicle: not all current electric vehicles support this feature, but major manufacturers are gradually integrating V2H technology into their latest models. Brands such as Nissan with the Leaf, Volkswagen with the ID. models, Hyundai and Kia are leading this transition. It is critical to verify that your vehicle supports two-way communication before investing in a V2H system.
- Two-way charging station: a special wallbox capable of managing the flow of energy in both directions is needed, either to charge the vehicle battery or to draw power from it and transfer it to the home. These stations are equipped with advanced electronics that intelligently manage the energy flow, ensuring safety and efficiency.
- Energy management system: to optimize the use of V2H, an energy management system that monitors household consumption, energy rates, and vehicle charge status in real time and automatically decides when to charge or discharge the battery is recommended.
Advantages of turning the car into the home battery
V2H technology offers multiple economic and energy benefits that make it an increasingly attractive solution for electric vehicle owners:
- Peak-hour consumption optimization: you can recharge your car during off-peak hours, typically at night, and use the vehicle as a domestic power source when the cost of energy is higher during peak hours. This energy arbitrage can generate significant savings on your electricity bill, which in some cases can be as much as 30-40% of your annual energy bill.
- Emergency power source: the V2H proves particularly useful in critical situations. In the event of a blackout, the electric car can act as a backup generator to keep essential appliances running and ensure the home's energy continuity. With a 60 kWh battery, you could power an average home for 2-3 days in an emergency.
- Integration with renewable energy: when combined with a photovoltaic system, this technology maximizes self-consumption by storing excess solar energy in the vehicle's battery during the day and using it in the evening or during nighttime hours when the panels are not producing. This greatly increases energy independence and reduces dependence on the traditional electricity grid.
- Power grid stabilization: on a broader level, V2H contributes to the stability of the national power grid. When thousands of vehicles participate in coordinated V2H programs, they can help balance energy supply and demand by facilitating the integration of intermittent renewable sources such as solar and wind.
- Asset enhancement: the vehicle battery, which accounts for about 30-40% of the total cost of the car, is used more efficiently, generating value even when the vehicle is idle. Incentive programs already exist in some countries for those who make their battery available for grid services.
How it works in practice
A typical V2H system operates automatically and intelligently. During the night, when rates are lower and the vehicle is not being used, the battery is fully charged. During the day, the system monitors energy prices in real time, and when they rise above a certain threshold, it begins to draw energy from the vehicle's battery to power the home.
The system always takes into account the user's mobility needs, ensuring that the battery always maintains a minimum charge sufficient for planned trips. For example, if you have set that every morning you need 30 km of range to go to work, the system will never discharge the battery below this threshold.
The future of home energy is already here
V2H technology now represents a concrete reality that transforms the electric vehicle into a central element of thehome energy ecosystem. No longer just a means of transportation, but a smart resource for optimizing consumption, reducing costs and increasing your home's energy independence.
As energy costs continue to rise and renewables become increasingly popular, V2H is positioned as one of the key technologies for the transition to a more sustainable, distributed, and efficient energy system. Investing in this technology today means preparing for the future of household energy.
V2H represents the future of home energy, but the electric mobility revolution is already underway. Powy supports businesses, hotels, parking garages, and many other partners in offering smart, professionally managed charging solutions, making each facility a benchmark for sustainable mobility.
Become a key player in the electric transition with Powy charging stations: click here to find out which partnership model is right for your business and start generating value from electric mobility.
FAQ: Does two-way charging ruin the car battery?
No, if used correctly. V2G/V2H/V2L systems are designed to manage charge and discharge cycles in a way that preserves battery life. Studies show that the impact is minimal if the system is well configured.
About Powy
Powy is a company that owns, develops and operates Italy's leading independent network of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, with a growing presence in Spain as well.
Founded in Turin, Italy in 2018, Powy is at the center of the transition to more sustainable mobility, offering an innovative charging infrastructure that uses only 100 percent renewable energy.
Powy 's network includes quick, fast, and ultra-fast charging solutions strategically placed in public and private parking lots, supermarkets, shopping malls, and transportation hubs to ensure maximum convenience and accessibility for EV drivers. Each station is equipped with advanced technologies to provide a reliable and efficient charging experience.
Learn more: wpowy.energy