Video - Kia EV6 Vehicle to Load Tested & Explained

[Andre Laurence]

Since I had never used the Vehicle-to-Load (aka V2L) feature of my Kia EV6 I decided to make a video about it to discover as much as I could. In this video I tested the V2L with several appliances and electronic devices. What happens if you exceed the power limit? How do you reset the V2L and AC outlet? Can you use the V2L port at the same time as the interior 110V AC outlet? Find out about these questions and more in this video that should also apply to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 V2L feature, since they are essentially the same technologically speaking.

 

[Bill Carter]

Since I had never used the Vehicle-to-Load (aka V2L) feature of my Kia EV6 I decided to make a video about it to discover as much as I could. In this video I tested the V2L with several appliances and electronic devices. What happens if you exceed the power limit? How do you reset the V2L and AC outlet? Can you use the V2L port at the same time as the interior 110V AC outlet? Find out about these questions and more in this video that should also apply to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 V2L feature, since they are essentially the same technologically speaking.

Thanks Andre, all that you covered is very helpful to know since I haven't experimented at all with the adaptor. So far it's just been a curiosity object in the back of the car. Can you comment on what you saw by way of a drop in range on the GOM after pulling what power you used and for what duration for all your experimentation? Almost negligible?

 

[Andre Laurence]

Thanks Andre, all that you covered is very helpful to know since I haven't experimented at all with the adaptor. So far it's just been a curiosity object in the back of the car. Can you comment on what you saw by way of a drop in range on the GOM after pulling what power you used and for what duration for all your experimentation? Almost negligible?

I did not monitor state of charge during the making of this video, it was already a 30 hour investment in time to make this (all included, not just recording) and doing a proper analysis of the power drain would take quite some time. You could, however, easily figure out how long you can run appliances by using the number of amps being drawn, the current state of charge, and minimum state of charge you set to stop the V2L, and do some quick math to find out how long it will last. Even if you were drawing the maximum 15A, which you don't since it would probably trip the circuit, you could run things for days, even if you limited the V2L to stop at 20%.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

Thanks for doing this video, Andre. As you likely are aware, our area has suffered the ravages of a nasty storm that went through last Saturday and many customers in Ottawa are without power. This situation has sparked several conversations about V2L and EVs. Of course there's always that question... If the power is going to be out for some time, how does one use V2L to power life's basics at their blacked-out home while still ensuring there's enough juice in the EV to make it to a place that does have power to allow an EV to recharge?

Not having experience in the operation of EV's I did the math on V2L power usage and figured that, in warm weather such as we are currently experiencing, one could conservatively live life powered by the car for 2-3 days before needing to recharge the car. That's based on our location where the nearest charger that would likely have power is about 40 minutes away by road.

 

[Andre Laurence]

Thanks for doing this video, Andre. As you likely are aware, our area has suffered the ravages of a nasty storm that went through last Saturday and many customers in Ottawa are without power. This situation has sparked several conversations about V2L and EVs. Of course there's always that question... If the power is going to be out for some time, how does one use V2L to power life's basics at their blacked-out home while still ensuring there's enough juice in the EV to make it to a place that does have power to allow an EV to recharge?

Not having experience in the operation of EV's I did the math on V2L power usage and figured that, in warm weather such as we are currently experiencing, one could conservatively live life powered by the car for 2-3 days before needing to recharge the car. That's based on our location where the nearest charger that would likely have power is about 40 minutes away by road.

I am glad my video could help and I hope you are all safe.

 

[LegoZ]

One thing I thought of this morning was what would happen if you try to use the V2L adapter on a car that doesn’t technically support it like the Kia Niro EV. If anybody is in the East side of DFW more specifically east Dallas I can supply the Niro EV If anyone would be willing to loan the adapter for long enough to plug it in and try something on.

 

[NoJacketRequired]

One thing I thought of this morning was what would happen if you try to use the V2L adapter on a car that doesn’t technically support it like the Kia Niro EV. If anybody is in the East side of DFW more specifically east Dallas I can supply the Niro EV If anyone would be willing to loan the adapter for long enough to plug it in and try something on.

This is a good question. Unfortunately I would not bet on V2L working on a car not specifically designed for it. Current flow outbound from the car's battery is something which is guarded closely to ensure the battery doesn't have any "sneak paths" to shorten its range. For this reason I highly suspect there to be truly zero possibility of outbound flow of power unless the car is specifically designed for that purpose.

Still... I would love to see the test results! (We can all keep our fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, all we need is a V2L adapter of some sort to make most cars capable of providing backup electrical power when needed.)

 

[LegoZ]

Still... I would love to see the test results! (We can all keep our fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, all we need is a V2L adapter of some sort to make most cars capable of providing backup electrical power when needed.)

I agree it’s highly unlikely but it definitely is something that is bugging me not being able to find somebody else who has tried it yet. It’s one of those things I want a definite answer on if for no other reason just to know lol.

 

[Andre Laurence]

One thing I thought of this morning was what would happen if you try to use the V2L adapter on a car that doesn’t technically support it like the Kia Niro EV. If anybody is in the East side of DFW more specifically east Dallas I can supply the Niro EV If anyone would be willing to loan the adapter for long enough to plug it in and try something on.

Since the Niro EV does not have the V2L hardware and software in the car, I am very confident that it won't work. What I don't know is if trying the V2L with the Niro EV will damage either the car or the V2L adapter. I would not want to try it myself.

 

[LegoZ]

Since the Niro EV does not have the V2L hardware and software in the car, I am very confident that it won't work. What I don't know is if trying the V2L with the Niro EV will damage either the car or the V2L adapter. I would not want to try it myself.

That’s something I didn’t consider I figured the adapter being plugged in communicated to the car and told it to energize the DC high-voltage connection directly to the battery and then the adapter itself had the hardware to do the dc to ac conversion.

 

[LegoZ]

As you can see above I had no idea how it worked. I assumed it connected to CCS but it looks like it’s literally just a adapter from J-1772 to an outlet which yes that would mean that the inverter is on board and the car would have to support it which is disappointing. My understanding with vehicle to load/vehicle to grid with chademo is that it access the DC voltage directly and then the inverter was external to the car.