An electric vehicle can do more than get its driver from one place to another. For U.S. homeowners, EVs can keep appliances, and even entire homes, running, even when the power goes out.
One resident with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 shared their experience using their EV to power their home on Reddit's r/AnkerSOLIXCommunity.
Here's what to know
In a Reddit post, the original poster described connecting an S5000 to their home's electrical panel, with the Ioniq 5 serving as an additional battery source during outages. After the homeowner purchased the power station, they reported spending about two hours installing the setup.
Once the homeowner disconnected the panel from grid power, the S5000 supplied electricity to the house through its 240-volt output. The installation included a panel interlock and a generator inlet connected to a 30-amp breaker.
Meanwhile, the Ioniq 5 supplied power through a vehicle-to-load adapter, with the S5000 reporting approximately 1,700 watts of charging input.
The OP added, "With all this in place, the S5000 was happily charging at about 1,700W while handling whatever loads the house needed. I was totally pleased with how easy this install went and how well the system works in practice. I was surprised at how little power my house draws at steady state. My house has a natural gas furnace, hot water heater, and stove. I should be able to run for multiple days during an outage with this setup."
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With ordinary household appliances running, demand settled around 1,000 watts. Switching on both the gas-fired furnace and the electric dryer brought that figure only slightly above 2,000 watts, according to the OP.
Commenters streamed into the thread to compliment the setup and ask clarifying questions. One wrote, "Nifty, for some reason I had never thought of using an EV as a house battery too, that's pretty cool."
Another commenter added, "I'm doing the same with my Ioniq 5 and an EcoFlow Delta 3 Pro, works very well. I've had the setup for two years." A third user simply wrote, "Using the Ioniq as a bigger battery bank is a clever setup."
Where can I learn more?
Making an EV part of a home backup setup means figuring out what needs power during an outage.
• In California, researchers are testing EVs that power homes during outages and reduce peak-hour bills.
• A homeowner used a 5-kWh battery backup system to keep four circuits running through storms.
• A homeowner powered two-thirds of the house with a Guardian 6000, revealing two weak spots.
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