this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
0 points (50.0% liked)

Technology

59374 readers
3040 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (6 children)
[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Because vehicle to load (V2L) is a popular selling point of EVs. While the article isn't clear, it sounds like this is what they already had installed and used.

V2L is not the same as those inverters. The inverters can only provide enough power for a few outlets (~3,000 Watts or so, depending) and for a relatively brief time (looks like most are 600-1500 Wh, meaning 1 hour of a single US 120v outlet at capacity). They must be purchased separately (which can be a problem once the need first arises, since they are not a common preventative option), and then manually connected all the way from car to device.

V2L, however, is very different. It is purchased and configured when the vehicle charging circuit is installed. It connects directly to the mains line, meaning that the feature simply needs to be turned on. Devices you want to power are still plugged into the wall. This feature can often supply 50 amps @ 240v, or 12,000 Watts.

Then there's the issue of capacity. The battery used to start an ICE isn't even playing the same sport as an EV battery. The high end noted above is 1,500 Wh (1.5 kWh). The Tesla model 3 has one that's 50,000 Wh (50 kWh), while the F150 lightning has 98,000 Wh (98 kWh) and an option for 131,000 Wh (131 kWh). While an ICE can act as a generator, I'm not even going to try to get an estimate on capacity. Way too many variables involved.

As for why the article focused on that brand/model, I think it's more about tugging at the heart strings. It's less about the brand and more about putting a face on why the feature was helpful/important. But I agree that it was written in a way that focused way too heavily on the brand and feels like an ad.

load more comments (5 replies)