For the first time in the world, electric vehicles were able to provide power to a grid during an outage, according to Interesting Engineering.
When a major storm caused an electricity grid blackout in Canberra, Australia, in February, a fleet of EVs provided power to homes.
"It's the first time in the world this type of vehicle-to-grid response to an emergency has been demonstrated," said Dr. Bjorn Sturmberg, lead author of a report relating to the event, per IE. "It shows electric vehicles can provide the backup we need in an emergency like this."
The vehicles were used as part of a study led by The Australian National University (ANU). Sixteen EVs were plugged in at properties in Australia's capital. When the blackout began, the vehicles immediately provided power to the grid, according to the report. Sturmberg noted that the EVs provided 107 kilowatts of support to the grid.
"To put that in perspective, 105,000 vehicles responding in this way would fully cover the backup required for the whole of the ACT and NSW," Sturmberg added, per Interesting Engineering. "For context, there were just under 100,000 EVs sold in Australia last year."
There are still hurdles to this becoming commonplace, as EV charging can put a burden on the grid. According to the study, the vehicles began to resume charging by default after providing the grid with 10 minutes of power.
"There would be little cost or inconvenience in delaying charging for an hour or two in this kind of situation," said Sturmberg. Auto companies are researching ways to make EV chargers more efficient, such as Ford Pro's new EV home charging station. And most notably, GM recently launched a GM Energy vehicle-to-home bundle to provide power for several days in a blackout.
However, the study, which is reportedly the first of its kind to show the results of EVs providing power to a grid during a blackout, could prove useful for families in the event of major storms, which are becoming more frequent.
Blackouts, which can happen at any time of year due to major storms, pose significant threats. According to a paper published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, blackouts in the Pacific Northwest in June 2021 associated with a heat wave resulted in "at least 600 excess deaths, and more than 3,500 emergency department visits for heat illness."
Lower-income and marginalized communities are even more at risk, as a June 2022 blackout in Columbus, Ohio showed that these communities were impacted at higher rates than middle and high-income areas, Matter News reported.
There have been more efforts to help bolster local grids, like Rhode Island's Energy Storage Systems Act, which will increase the capacity while transitioning to more affordable and renewable energy sources.
Electric vehicles, which help save drivers money according to the U.S. Department of Energy, also reduce reliance on dirty energy that contributes to warming temperatures, increasing the frequency of major weather events. Now they're showing benefits off the road. The ability to power the grid during blackouts can save billions of dollars and save lives.
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