Bidirectional chargers can be used for two different applications. The first and most talked about is Vehicle-to-grid or V2G, designed to send or export energy into the electricity grid when the demand is high. If thousands of vehicles with V2G technology are plugged in and enabled, this has the potential to transform the way in which electricity is stored and generated. EVs have large, powerful batteries, so the combined power of thousands of vehicles with V2G could be enormous.

1. Vehicle-to-grid or V2G – exports energy to support the electricity grid.

2. Vehicle-to-home or V2H – energy is used to power a home or business.

The second use of bidirectional chargers is for Vehicle-to-home or V2H. As the names suggest, V2H enables an EV to be used much like a home battery system to store excess solar energy and power your home.

Vehicle-to-grid – V2G

Vehicle-to-grid is where a portion of the EV battery energy is discharged and exported to the electricity grid when the demand is high in exchange for an incentive or reduced electricity costs, depending on the service contract. To participate in V2G programs, you will require a bidirectional DC charger and a compatible EV.

Vehicle to Home – V2H

Vehicle-to-home or V2H is similar to the V2G, but the energy is used locally to power a home instead of being fed into the electricity grid. This enables the EV to function much like a regular household battery system to help increase self-sufficiency, especially when combined with rooftop solar. Another benefit of V2H is the ability to provide backup power in the event of a blackout.