An electric vehicle parked at home can do more than provide transportation. It could also help keep lights and appliances running when the grid goes down.
Researchers are testing that idea in a pilot project in Menifee, California, and that same arrangement could also help households rely less on the day’s most expensive electricity.
Here’s what to know
At the University of California, Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program, a Riverside County demonstration is pairing an EV with a bidirectional charger so electricity can flow from the car back into a house, as KCRA reported.
Dr. Kate Forrest, a senior scientist at the program, said the setup only works with a compatible vehicle and a charger that can “communicate with the car to manage the power transfer to the home.”…