Electric car energy storage house

Can parked electric cars be used as home energy storage batteries?

As we previously mentioned, Octopus Energy and Chinese EV maker BYD have launched a new pilot scheme that allows customers to use their parked electric vehicles as flexible home energy storage batteries. This means Octopus customers can use BYD EV’s bi-directional charging function to power their homes, turning their cars into mobile power sources.

Can EV power a home?

This means you can charge your car like normal, but the energy flow can also be reversed (VTG), enabling the stored energy in the EV’s battery to be fed back into the grid or used to power a home (VTH). For this reason, this technology has the potential to play a crucial role in balancing the supply and demand of energy.

Are electric cars a good backup power source?

But electric cars and trucks present another opportunity for backup power. EVs all have batteries large enough to theoretically power a home for several days. The trick is transferring the electrical energy from an EV into useful home AC power.

Can electric vehicles be used as storage batteries?

Soon, electric vehicles will come with the ability to use them as portable storage batteries for your home. In July 2024, Octopus Energy announced a new initiative to use BYD electrical vehicles (EVs) as storage batteries for your home.

How many kWh can an EV store?

Each of these EVs averages around 40 kWh of battery storage. This means they could collectively store 72 million kWh. If used solely as a form of power storage, this could power 24,800 homes annually or meet the daily needs of 9 million households.

Can EVs be used as home storage batteries?

Yes, you can use bidirectional charging, vehicle-to-grid (VTG), or vehicle-to-house (VTH) technology. With this technology installed, EVs can, in effect, act like home storage batteries when not used for driving.