Tesla lets Model 3, Model Y power homes during outages
What's the story
Tesla has expanded its Powershare Home Backup feature to include the Model 3 and Model Y. The innovative tech lets owners use their electric vehicle's (EV) battery as a backup power source for their homes during outages. However, it is worth noting that the feature only works with Tesla's Powerwall 3 at present. Support for Powerwall 2 and Powerwall Plus is "coming soon," according to Tesla.
Industry trend
Industry trend toward vehicle-to-home power
Tesla isn't the only company offering bidirectional charging in its EVs. Other automakers like Kia and GM have also introduced vehicle-to-home power solutions in their vehicles.
Nissan's Leaf even offered power-to-grid charging years ago, showing that this industry trend is gaining momentum across different brands.
Duration
Backup power duration varies by model
Tesla claims that the Model 3 and Model Y can provide backup power for over two days on Premium and Performance models.
However, this is less than the "over three days" backup time promised by Tesla for the Cybertruck's battery.
The company has only promised Home Backup will work on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles ordered from October 1 onward, as not all older models have the PCS2 Lite inverter needed for this feature.
Feature reach
Limitations in current rollout
Currently, Tesla's Powershare Home Backup feature is only available in the US and Puerto Rico. It doesn't work with larger models like the Model S or Model X.
The company's Powershare Grid Support feature is still exclusive to the Cybertruck, further highlighting some of the limitations in its current rollout of this innovative technology.