Charging options for electric cars are increasing rapidly. But that's not all. There are increasing reports about how your EV can soon power a grid and how your electric car can provide power during a camping trip, even if you're in the middle of nowhere.
Since the terms are often used interchangeably, creating a lot of confusion, we've compared Vehicle to Load and Vehicle to Grid on this page, including the main differences, so you know exactly what's going on.
What exactly is Vehicle to Load (V2L)?
Vehicle to Load (V2L) is often abbreviated to V2L and refers to the technology that allows you to power electrical devices from your electric car's battery. You'll need a V2L adapter to plug into your car's charging port. You can then plug an extension cord, miter box, or the plug of a device you want to power from your EV's battery into this adapter.
V2L always involves appliances (coffee makers, lighting, a mobile phone charger) that you connect directly to the electric car's battery using the V2L adapter. It's a single (or double, as some electric cars have an additional connection inside) adapter that allows you to connect devices to a 3.6 kW outlet.
What is the big difference with Vehicle to Grid (V2G)?
This isn't the case with Vehicle to Grid (abbreviated to V2G). It involves supplying power to a complete network, often directly to the meter box, which then distributes the power to the users on the network. We're not thinking of 3.6 kW here, of course, because this power is (much) too low to power a complete network, unless interim storage is used. V2G requires much more technology, because the electric car must feed the network via the charging station. This requires a much higher power supply and distribution, which can't be achieved through a simple connection to the socket.
V2G is therefore not yet feasible on a large scale. Bidirectional charging, which V2G falls under, simply requires a number of adjustments, including those related to charging stations and meter boxes. While smart charging stations that support this technology have already been developed, the potential for a truly large-scale rollout is not yet available. However, this is being worked on intensively, as the advantages of this technology are clear.
V2L has been possible for some time now. Numerous electric cars are suitable for use as mobile power banks. All you need is a suitable model and a V2L adapter to connect devices, extension cords, and miter boxes to your car.
Why are the terms so often confused?
In both cases, it's about the electric car supplying power to external devices or networks. Since these are both new and English terms, confusion easily arises, and terms are often used interchangeably or confused. This applies not only to these terms, but to many other issues related to electric driving and charging electric cars with charging stations and charging cables .
What is the future of charging your electric car?
Vehicle-to-Load (VTL) technology is already possible and makes things easier for many electric car owners, both at home and on vacation. Vehicle-to-Grid (or Vehicle-to-Everything, V2X, and also Vehicle-to-Home, V2H) is the future of the electric car. As is well known, the energy transition faces major obstacles, with the storage of renewable energy being a particular problem. If the electric car, with its large battery pack, can be used as a (supplemental) home battery, this becomes considerably easier, and people with solar panels can get even more out of their sustainability efforts.
Until then, we'll have to make do with V2L technology, and thanks to the V2L adapters, we'll have power wherever we park our electric car. Of course, you can order V2L adapters for your electric car online from us. Our range includes everything you need to optimally charge your electric car and even use it as a real power bank.
