<
https://thedriven.io/2025/03/11/ev-owners-use-their-batteries-on-wheels-to-power-homes-amid-alfred-blackouts/>
"In the midst of Cyclone Alfred and its aftermath, there were upwards of
450,000 homes in south-east Queensland and north east NSW blacked out at some
point over the past week. Even a few days after Alfred became an ex-tropical
cyclone, there were still more than 120,000 properties without power.
But some houses – including those with home batteries and EV owners with
vehicle to load technology – were able to keep their appliances going and their
lights on. And the EV owners in particular have been taking to social media to
report how their batteries on wheels helped them power their homes through the
storm.
Vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology allows power to be sent from a car’s battery
to external appliances – though not all EVs have V2L capability, including
Australia’s two most popular EVs to date, the Tesla Model Y and the Model 3.
Chris Baker, director of Sunshine Hydro, a company proposing to combine pumped
hydro with green hydrogen production to support large customers in Queensland,
took to LinkedIn to share that his 2013 Nissan leaf had kept the lights and
fridges running.
“With a simple inverter connected to the 12V battery, we’re keeping food fresh,
phones charged, and laptops going,” Baker wrote. “The Leaf stays switched on so
it continues to recharge the 12V system from the main battery.
“This moment is a reminder of how energy isn’t just about supply, but about
orchestration – bringing together all available resources to keep things
running when they matter most.
“It’s also a lesson that energy storage, not just energy production, is the
backbone of energy resilience.”"
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
