Tesla is considered by many to be the leader in electric vehicle efficiency and much more claims to also be an energy companyNot just a car company.
Its ability to turn EVs into backup power banks seems like the logical next step. Until now, Tesla has shied away from the possibility of implementing two-way charging technology, commonly known as V2G or V2G technology, in its vehicles.
As part of Tesla’s Investment Day on Wednesday, providing a look at the company’s strategy for years into the future, said Drew Baglino, the company’s Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Engineering energy, added some insight into why Tesla vehicles still don’t have the feature.
“It was not a conscious decision not to do it; it was not a priority at the time,” explained Baglino in response to a question about the feature. “As we continue to improve the power electronics in our vehicles, we have found a way to bring two-wayness while actually reducing the cost of power electronics in the vehicle.”
That’s in line with Tesla’s goal of getting more out of less, Baglino explains. He added that Tesla is in the process of retooling its power electronics to bring that functionality to all of its vehicles over the next two years or so.
Charge Tesla
Charge Tesla
However, the sale of Powerwalls is also part of the pattern. And as CEO Elon Musk pointed out, it seems the Powerwall makes more sense for at-home backups.
“I don’t think many people will use bidirectional charging unless you have a Powerwall,” Musk said. “Because if you unplug your car, your house will go dark—and this is extremely inconvenient.”
“Most of the value comes from charging the car at the right time; it’s not really sending energy the other way,” Baglino added.
The Tesla CEO has a point. smart charger coordinating it all, as studies have found, can mark the difference between judicious use of renewables or asking them to start polluting “peak” power plants. infection during high load days.
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That’s the highlight of a new rule from the California Public Utilities Commission, enacted last year, that will establish a measurement system that makes it easier to set up. rate of use timewhich the state considers critical to making the state’s energy mix greener.
However, several other companies investing in two-way charging have stated that there can be financial advantages for owners willing to embrace the technology. According to Fermata Energy, in a recent presentation to the CHAdeMO Consortium trade group, a two-way charger can earn up to $15,000 in 10 years by discharging electricity back to the grid during peak hours and back-up during off-peak hours. Such arrangements—and the actual mechanism for achieving these benefits—are still being handled by utility companies, so they are currently the subject of fleets and pilot programs.
A flurry of electric vehicles have emerged over the past few years that already offer two-way charging — or at least confirm that the hardware is there and ready. This technology will be enabled by software in Lucid Air and Volvo EX90for example, and it has built in Hyundai E-GMP platform for electric vehicles, so models like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 can have this feature enabled (or retrofitted). And the Ford F-150 Lightning has provided it in full Integrated family system allows electric trucks to power a house for days.
The Nissan Leaf has had two-way drive since 2013, not long after it was first introduced, and its CHAdeMO interface has supported the technology from the start. While there are other technology deployments around the globe, Fermata starts offering the first service factory approved bidirectional charger for Leaf just last year.
Tesla Electric Wall 2.0
“If you have a Powerwall that can take the load of that house, then you can use your car as an additional power source for the Powerwall and then you know you’re not going to drive people crazy by unplugging it. plug your car and make the house explode. ‘, Musk reasoned. “So I think there’s some value there as an additional power source, where if you have a Powerwall you don’t detract from the convenience of the people in the house.”
Though Musk has left out one important detail: the sheer size of the battery pack, especially in the Long Range Electric Vehicle. Tesla lists today’s Powerwall as having 14 kwh total power and 13.5 kWh available power. But being able to plug a 100 kWh Model S or Model X into the Powerwall provides a higher level of available power—and potentially days of backup power—when absolutely needed.
