A research team at the University of Michigan studied vehicle-to-home charging, called V2H. V2H lets drivers use energy stored in an electric car battery to run household appliances. It works like using a parked car as a generator while the grid originally charged the battery.
The study finds V2H can save owners thousands of dollars over a vehicle lifetime and cut greenhouse gas emissions from both homes and transport. The team modelled a mid-sized SUV and looked at different parts of the United States.
Results vary by location. The control technology is still early in the US, and researchers are testing systems with utilities and working on automation and battery life.
Difficult words
- charge — to store electrical energy in a batterycharging, charged
- battery — a device that stores electrical energy for later use
- appliance — a machine used in a house for daily tasksappliances
- emission — gas released into the air from activitiesemissions
- model — to make a simple plan or computer simulationmodelled
- utility — a public company that provides electricity or waterutilities
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you want to use your electric car to power your home? Why or why not?
- Which home appliances would you run with a car battery during a power cut?
- Do you think V2H would be useful in your town? Why?
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