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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/01/amazing-queensland-mum-uses-electric-car-to-save-sons-life-with-dialysis-during-power-outage>
"An electric vehicle owner has used her car’s emergency power system to run her
11-year-old son’s life-saving dialysis machine and another has ridden to the
rescue of his neighbours after devastating storms cut power in south-east
Queensland.
When the power went down after storms and flash flooding on Christmas Day, many
residents immediately felt the consequences: electric gates did not work,
septic tanks began to fill, air conditioners could not run and fridges began to
warm as a heatwave followed.
But some electric vehicle drivers whose cars are equipped with “vehicle to
load” systems – a back-up power system that allows the car to act as an
emergency generator or supply for devices such as lights, laptops, TVs and
refrigerators – stepped in to help out and, in some cases, save lives.
One woman on the Gold Coast, Kristy Holmes, 42, used her BYD electric car to
power her 11-year-old son’s dialysis machine after their power shut off on
Christmas Day.
At first, Holmes and her husband used the car to plug in their fridges and
those of their neighbours in the adjoining units but when the power did not
come back on quickly, she started to wonder whether the BYD Atto 3 the couple
bought in February could also handle the life-saving dialysis machine.
“We ran it off the car,” Holmes said. “We only needed to use it for the one
night. We could have run it for at least four nights and then have to go charge
the car somewhere.”
Her son Levi, who is about to go on a transplant list this month, would have
faced life-threatening health consequences had he not been able to receive
treatment, and would have needed to travel to Brisbane during the storm if he
could not find an alternative.
Holmes said she had known she could “use my car for good things” since she made
slow-cooked mulled wine for a movie night using the car’s electric system.
“It’s the most amazing car I’ve ever owned. Now it’s been able to save my son
during a storm, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a petrol car again.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
