Using the Bolt to Power Your Home (V2Grid) or (V2Home)

[patrickbolt]

I'd love to be the first to know IF when a Bolt can be used to power one's home. Is anyone aware of a Bolt being able to be equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) or vehicle-to-home technology?

I have a 2017, and here's what I found online (not about the Bolt per say but about the capability). I live in California:

"Pilot programs have also since been launched: California’s Pacific Gas and Electric, the largest utility in the U.S., has started enrolling customers in an $11.7 million pilot program. "

"Under the plan, residential customers will receive up to $2,500 toward the cost of installing a bidirectional charger. They will then be compensated for discharging excess electricity from their bidirectional chargers back to the grid during periods of anticipated energy shortages. This compensation model not only provides financial benefits to participating consumers but also positions them as active contributors to the resilience and efficiency of the broader energy grid."

Anyone doing this yet?

 

[summit]

is the V2G/V2L ultimately to participate in this PGE bidirectional energy flow ? we have been using our EVs as outage back up for years. But outage backup, essentially an off-grid configuration, is quite different than grid feed in V2G. It's completely doable however. The 60kwh pack has substantial energy storage.

 

[whiteshepherd]

Using my car as emergency backup is one thing (I have a inverter to do that). However I do not think I would want to be feeding back to grid. My Bolt is a 2017 with partial aluminium underside (was later switched to steel), and the battery if you know how to care for it should last easily 500k-1m miles (charge to 80% and almost never deep discharge or charge to full). I'm also in a heated basement garage that stays 60F-75F year round. At 100k+ miles I'm sitting at under 3% degradation. So get max miles out of my car I would worry letting the power company cycle it would put quite a bit of wear on the battery?

 

[summit]

I've heard some rumors that 2017 Bolt has CCS1, which is not bidirectional. Am pretty sure you can set limit the utility company drawn, plus it would be an occasional demand, hopefully.

With regard to outage backup, how much wattage/current can your inverter pull ? My setup was using the 12v aux, but it's graduating to the high voltage DC in order to operate the few mini-splits for heat in the winter.

 

[ClarD]

Using my car as emergency backup is one thing (I have a inverter to do that). However I do not think I would want to be feeding back to grid.

I have used my Nissan LEAF as emergency backup for several days at a time. It might even be more convenient than the Bolt, because there is no timeout. I think I would continue to use the LEAF instead of the Bolt, if I need backup. I was able to drive to a nearby area that had power to recharge.

I now have Tesla Powerwalls with solar PV, and participate in their Virtual Power Plant, which occasionally sends power back to the grid. A Tesla car could participate in that same VPP, but I don't think is currently approved. This is a pretty low amount of usage, so I am not concerned about battery degradation. I wouldn't want to be bi-directional on a daily basis, the way some Powerwall users are in the UK, where they participate in some "flexible" schemes where they charge and discharge to the grid every day, maybe with no solar PV.

The only vehicle mentioned in the PG&E pages so far is the Ford F-150.

 

[patrickbolt]

is the V2G/V2L ultimately to participate in this PGE bidirectional energy flow ? we have been using our EVs as outage back up for years. But outage backup, essentially an off-grid configuration, is quite different than grid feed in V2G. It's completely doable however. The 60kwh pack has substantial energy storage.

how do you use your EV as as outage back up? What device do you own? (From this thread, I surmise it's an inverter, but if so, can you point me to a product?... thank you for any insight.

 

[patrickbolt]

Using my car as emergency backup is one thing (I have a inverter to do that). However I do not think I would want to be feeding back to grid. My Bolt is a 2017 with partial aluminium underside (was later switched to steel), and the battery if you know how to care for it should last easily 500k-1m miles (charge to 80% and almost never deep discharge or charge to full). I'm also in a heated basement garage that stays 60F-75F year round. At 100k+ miles I'm sitting at under 3% degradation. So get max miles out of my car I would worry letting the power company cycle it would put quite a bit of wear on the battery?

how do you use your EV as as outage back up? What device do you own? Can you point me to a product?... thank you for any insight.

 

[ClarD]

how do you use your EV as as outage back up? What device do you own? (From this thread, I surmise it's an inverter, but if so, can you point me to a product?... thank you for any insight.

There is a complete plug in kit from EVExtend. There is a wiring kit that is installed with plug-in connectors, and an optional inverter.
You could do some manual wiring to your choice of inverters, with a 2000 watt Inverter or a 1000 watt inverter and Bolt-on cables that you would attach to the fuse box and ground each time you need it.

From the inverter, you would probably run a couple of heavy extension cords to the fridge and a power strip for the TV and other electronics.

You could have a transfer switch installed so that one cord from the inverter would go to a panel where you supply selected circuits in the house.

 

[summit]

I have two different set up. The older set up is similar to the EVExtend, but to charge an external 12v 4kwh LFP pack, which powers a 2kw pure sine wave 120vac inverter. The external 12v pack acts as a buffer/cache for the Bolt, as the Bolt will time out after 90-min. The time-out can be bypass with transmission in D, but it seems there are a lot more stuff running, like pumps, governors...

This setup is fine for standard loads: refrigerator, routers, TV, lights ... but a 3kw inverter would be better as coffee maker, juicier etc...can each pull 1kw

My 2nd setup access the 360vdc directly, to drive a 5kw inverter. The motivation is to operate the 240vac mini-splits and heat-pump water heater. This high voltage DC configuration can be lethal and not the casual DIYers.

 

[user 1485]

There is a complete plug in kit from EVExtend. There is a wiring kit that is installed with plug-in connectors, and an optional inverter.
--------

This kit works only on the 12v system, and as far as I can tell will not use the Bolt's high voltage motive power battery. So, the power available will be that available from the 12v battery. This will be maybe a l ittle over 100 Ah, which is not much use at all to power a house. Maybe power a TV for a few hours and that's about all.

 

[timc]

My 2nd setup access the 360vdc directly, to drive a 5kw inverter. The motivation is to operate the 240vac mini-splits and heat-pump water heater. This high voltage DC configuration can be lethal and not the casual DIYers.

I'm curious to know how you tap into the traction battery.

So, the power available will be that available from the 12v battery. This will be maybe a l ittle over 100 Ah, which is not much use at all to power a house

The 12V battery gets replenished by the traction battery. According to Chevrolet, the maximum rate is 1600 watts, which is good for running most all of your 120V appliances, 1 at a time, for days.

 

[ClarD]

This kit works only on the 12v system, and as far as I can tell will not use the Bolt's high voltage motive power battery. So, the power available will be that available from the 12v battery. This will be maybe a l ittle over 100 Ah, which is not much use at all to power a house. Maybe power a TV for a few hours and that's about all.

The 12 volt battery in the Bolt is 80 RC (25 amps for 80 minutes), not deep cycle, so only 33 usable Ah.
But that doesn't matter, because the car will be on, and the DC-DC converter will be supplying the energy.

I powered a 28 cubic foot refrigerator, 16 cubic foot freezer, DirecTV dish, TV, some lights and phone chargers, for 12 hours a day from my Nissan LEAF.
The average draw was 600 watts.

 

[xgashole]

I'd love to be the first to know IF when a Bolt can be used to power one's home. Is anyone aware of a Bolt being able to be equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) or vehicle-to-home technology?

I have a 2017, and here's what I found online (not about the Bolt per say but about the capability). I live in California:

"Pilot programs have also since been launched: California’s Pacific Gas and Electric, the largest utility in the U.S., has started enrolling customers in an $11.7 million pilot program. "

"Under the plan, residential customers will receive up to $2,500 toward the cost of installing a bidirectional charger. They will then be compensated for discharging excess electricity from their bidirectional chargers back to the grid during periods of anticipated energy shortages. This compensation model not only provides financial benefits to participating consumers but also positions them as active contributors to the resilience and efficiency of the broader energy grid."

Anyone doing this yet?

For uploading power to the grid to make economic sense (ignoring battery wear and tear) you would need to charge for free or at heavily-subsidized pricing. Would you be saving any money by putting your Bolt on the grid?

 

[ClarD]

For uploading power to the grid to make economic sense (ignoring battery wear and tear) you would need to charge for free or at heavily-subsidized pricing. Would you be saving any money by putting your Bolt on the grid?

In the US, Tesla Virtual Power Plant participation is $2/kWh supplied to the grid.
Daily usage wouldn't be interesting to me, even if it were allowed. Too many bad variables. It might be worthwhile for a commercial fleet.

That has been used by PG&E in my area of Northern California a few times. The app doesn't keep a log. More than five, less than ten, in two years, is my loose recollection.

I get a check once a year.
2023 - 75.4 kWh, $168.77
2022 - 99.7 kWh, $242.36

 

[summit]

I'm curious to know how you tap into the traction battery.

warning: not for the faint of heart, beware of lethal DC voltage, access via the heater orange plug

 

[Pat Capozzi]

I have two different set up. The older set up is similar to the EVExtend, but to charge an external 12v 4kwh LFP pack, which powers a 2kw pure sine wave 120vac inverter. The external 12v pack acts as a buffer/cache for the Bolt, as the Bolt will time out after 90-min. The time-out can be bypass with transmission in D, but it seems there are a lot more stuff running, like pumps, governors...

This setup is fine for standard loads: refrigerator, routers, TV, lights ... but a 3kw inverter would be better as coffee maker, juicier etc...can each pull 1kw

My 2nd setup access the 360vdc directly, to drive a 5kw inverter. The motivation is to operate the 240vac mini-splits and heat-pump water heater. This high voltage DC configuration can be lethal and not the casual DIYers.

I had a first generation volt which I used Evie extend to go to an inverter but I need some more wattage. I have bought a larger inverter but I am afraid of overloading the 12 volt battery. Do you have any details on how you went to the high voltage system?