General Motors has revealed additional details about its Ultium Home vehicle-to-home hardware that allows owners of compatible EVs to power up their houses using the juice from the cars’ batteries.
The company said it was testing bidirectional charging with California’s Pacific Gas and Electric Company back in March 2022, and launched its Ultium Home business in October. Now, GM has published the essential information EV owners need to know if they’re considering a power backup solution for their homes.
Three bundles are available: Ultium Home V2H Bundle, Ultium Home Energy System, and Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle.
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The vehicle-to-home bundle includes GM’s PowerShift AC charger that supports bidirectional charging, as well as an Enablement Kit that adds an inverted and “dark start” battery. With this pack, owners of compatible EVs (including the new Chevrolet Silverado EV) can charge up their vehicles from the grid and – when needed – can power their homes from the car’s high-voltage battery. The charger is rated at 19.2 kilowatts, but discharge power peaks at 9.6 kW.
Next is the Ultium Home Energy System which adds a GM PowerBank stationary storage unit that is connected to the V2H Enablement Kit. The battery bank is available in 5 kW/10.6 kWh and 7 kW/17.7 kWh variants.
The third pack, the Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle, comes with one of GM’s PowerBank offerings, an inverter, and a home hub, and is intended for people who want to have backup battery storage without an electric vehicle. In other words, it’s similar to what Tesla offers with its Powerwall.
Additionally, all these bundles can be integrated with a photovoltaic system, with GM partnering with SunPower as its exclusive solar provider and preferred EV charger installer.
“As GM Energy’s ecosystem of connected products and services continues to expand, we’re excited to provide customers with options for greater energy management beyond the vehicle,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president, GM Energy. “Our initial Ultium Home offerings represent an opportunity for customers to take greater control over their personal energy independence and resiliency.”
Prices for the new V2H products haven’t been announced yet, but we expect a cost of anywhere between $7,000 and $10,000 for the basic vehicle-to-home bundle that allows a house to be powered by an EV battery, including the necessary equipment and installation.
In the case of the Ford F-150 Lightning, installing the so-called Intelligent Backup Power system costs anywhere from $7,500 to $15,000.
