⚡️Ford backup power in action - first DC V2H system!

Happy Monday. This is your friendly neighborhood EV newsletter. We bring you cold, refreshing EV news like the milkman brought milk back in the day. Just subscribe and pair us with a bowl of cereal in the morning.

Friendly reminder: We recently created the Electric Avenue Glossary. This is a living post where we'll add new acronyms anytime we define or use them.

Here's what we have for you today:

• Ford Backup Power in Action ⚡️

• 2 Links 🔗

• Meme of the week 🤡

BTW, if someone forwarded this to you, subscribe now to get the next edition directly to your inbox. You can also access the complete library of previous Electric Avenue newsletters for free:

Ford Backup Power in Action ⚡️

It`s finally here! Youtube channel State of Charge is the first one to publish a video review about a fully operational Ford Lightnings' s Intelligent Backup Power System in a real home. We sat down and summarized the key takeaways from the 33- minute review.

The system includes:

• Ford Charger Pro ($1,310 - included in the F-150 Extended Range)

• Home Integration Kit ($3,895)

  • Inverter as bidirectional charging is based on DC. Notably, the inverter can be connected and used for solar panels simultaneously.

  • Automatic transfer switch that cuts off the energy circuit from the grid in case of a power outage.

  • Dark Start Battery - a lithium-ion battery that initially powers the system when power goes out.

• Installation by independent installer Qmerit (Official installation partner for Ford is normally Sunrun, but customers can choose to get their own electrician like in this case)

• Total system cost, depending on the installation, can be anywhere from $7.5k to $15k.

• The system can output 9 kW of power. Critical loads are put on the Intelligent Backup Power circuit to enable operations after a power outage.

• Ford F150 Lightning lets the user set the minimum energy reserve in the vehicle based on miles and enable an automatic energy transfer within the vehicle or per App notification when disabled in the vehicle.

• After a simulated power outage, the system required between 45 seconds and up to 1,5 minutes to power on.

For a more detailed explanation of the system check out our original reporting which also includes links to the user and installation manuals for the system

Our Key Takeaways:

• Most Europeans have rarely experienced a power outage in their homes. Americans however have much more experience with outages and frequently their homes with generators to ensure that critical infrastructure in their homes can keep running.

• Ford's system is the first commercially available Vehicle-to-home (V2H) system which allows EV drivers to use their vehicle battery for emergency backup power. The biggest disadvantage versus a generator or backup battery is that the system will only work when the vehicle is present.

• The system's 9 kW power output (paired with solar here) will be more than enough to power critical loads on the emergency circuit in most homes. Only in households that power most of their home with electricity - for example by producing their heat with a heat pump - the decision of what to put on the critical loads panel circuits will become a tradeoff.

• Costs for the system (including installations) as a solution for power outages are relatively high when compared to alternative solutions like a natural gas generator or using a vehicle-to-load feature to power critical appliances.

2 Links 🔗

• VW & Kaluza do V2G: We recently reported that Kaluza Energy, its parent OVO and charger manufacturer Indra completed a 3-year V2G pilot in the UK with Nissan Leaf vehicles. While the results were promising, the study had one major downside - it relied on a vehicle and charger that used the ChaDeMo connector which is quickly becoming obsolete in Europe and North America. Now, in a new consortium Kaluza, Ovo and Indra are partnering with Volkswagen to demonstrate V2G with vehicles using the standardized CCS connector.

• Tesla taking steps to open up: European owners of Non-Tesla EVs have been able to charge at Tesla`s Supercharger network for quite some time now. In the US, this was hindered by Tesla`s proprietary plug - which they are now trying to turn into a standard. But independent of who will win the *Connector Wars*, Tesla seems to be making moves to open up to EVs with CCS connectors in North America too:

  • #1: Tesla is expected to open Supercharger sites to CCS vehicles through the use of an adapter dubbed the "Magic Dock'. As of this week, the adapter is showing in Tesla`s mobile app and a SC site at Tesla`s design studio in Los Angeles is listing "CCS compatibility" online.

  • #2: The mobile app payment & authentication functionalities for finding, activating and paying as a non-Tesla owner already exist in North America. As you can see in the video below, the experience is enable as a select few Tesla AC charging stations at public sites. It looks identical to the way that non-Tesla owners in Europe can access CCS-enabled Superchargers.

Meme of the Week

A Reader´s review

Selected ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ Freakin´ awesome and wrote:

"It's a quick, but enjoyable read every week."

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions.