[BainbridgeIsland]

Obviously Volvo/Polestar doesn't support true vehicle-to-grid (V2G) reverse charging - I think only some Nissan vehicles support that currently with special wall charging stations. Tesla is long-rumored to be working on it also.

But I was wondering to what extent could we use our P8's big electric batteries to charge/run stuff around the house during a power outage? Can I plug in my iPhones/iPads to the USB ports to charge them multiple times? Could I plug an inverter into a 12V outlet to run some limited AC household devices (say a laptop or small refrigerator)?

Our P8s have a 12V battery in addition to the big 78KWh electric motor battery. The 12V battery presumably runs the 12V and USB outlets. So is the big 78KWh battery constantly recharging the 12V battery? Or does the 12V battery only recharge when the car is hooked up to a charging station?

I'm curious how much of the stored 78KWh we could actually use during a power outage. Thanks!

 

[arijaycomet]

Keep in mind only 75 kWh of our 78 kWH pack is made available to us, net. Be it driving or otherwise. With that said, I know that the forthcoming Hyundai IONIQ-5 will feature V2G — or actually, “power your 110v stuff” — there are some videos showing it off. Pretty cool, actually. I‘d be curious what the max amps are there (I think 15A is the most you’d normally see on a household outlet, at least here stateside USA). So presumably the max output would be 15A.

We’ve had at times 2x Tesla vehicles with 150+ kWh total battery— and yet, not been able to power our house in a blackout. IT is kind of annoying actually, to have two BEVs in the garage, and be without power. Heck only recently did we upgrade our driveway (new pavement) and garage (new floor/cabinets) that we also got a new garage door/opener and got one wwith a battery backup. At least now we can open/close the garage in a power outage.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

Found part of the answer, I think. From the P8 owners manual, under "Jump Starting" (of all things):

Under normal conditions, the 12 V battery is charged when the vehicle is charged, and through electrical current transfer directly from the high-voltage battery when the vehicle is not plugged in for charging.

So the 12V battery is charged continuously from the high-voltage battery, as well as when the vehicle is plugged into a charging station. So in theory we should be able to use quite a bit of the main battery to charge devices via the USB and 12V outlets during a power outage.

 

[SeattleCat]

Wait we have a 12 volt battery? What technology is it? Where is it?

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

Wait we have a 12 volt battery? What technology is it? Where is it?

12 V battery | Battery | Maintenance and service | XC40 Recharge Pure Electric 2021 | Volvo Support (volvocars.com)

You can even jump-start your P8 if the 12V battery is dead.

 

[SeattleCat]

Seems so odd for an Ev to have a 12 volt battery and yet there it is.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

Seems so odd for an Ev to have a 12 volt battery and yet there it is.

Pretty sure they all have them. Original Tesla Roadster v1.0 might have been the only EV that didn't.

 

[SeattleCat]

You are right. I researched after starting reading this thread. Still seems odd but also not so odd as the main battery pack is a lot more complex than just a sexy big potential difference.

 

[Stugorf]

The Kia EV6 is marketed in campsites as a V2G solution. It would be interesting to explore if this is possible from a P8.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

The Kia EV6 is marketed in campsites as a V2G solution. It would be interesting to explore if this is possible from a P8.

The Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 - both built on the same underlying platform - have built in "V2L" or vehicle-to-load capability. That's quite different from V2G (vehicle-to-grid, where you can actually send power back into the utility grid) or V2H (vehicle-to-home, where it could work as a whole-home backup battery, like a Tesla PowerWall).

Basically, their V2L feature is a power outlet with an inverter that provides up to 2-3 KW of 110V AC power from the main battery. In a power outage (or camping), it would let you plug in & run an appliance or charge your devices. Kind of like a small portable generator.

Unfortunately our Volvo P8 (and its platform cousin the Polestar 2) appears to have no such feature. Further, it looks like you couldn't even really run something off the 12V outlets (like an AC inverter) for camping or power outage. According to the user manual, the car only supplies power to the 12V outlets when someone is sitting in the driver's seat (eg, either Comfort Mode or Driving Mode). I haven't tested this myself but if true, it seems disappointing & not very useful.

 

[SeattleCat]

You could just put a bag on the front seat not sure what the minimum weight required to simulate a person

 

[Cuelaw57]

Wait we have a 12 volt battery? What technology is it? Where is it?

 

[MMK]

The Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 - both built on the same underlying platform - have built in "V2L" or vehicle-to-load capability. That's quite different from V2G (vehicle-to-grid, where you can actually send power back into the utility grid) or V2H (vehicle-to-home, where it could work as a whole-home backup battery, like a Tesla PowerWall).

Basically, their V2L feature is a power outlet with an inverter that provides up to 2-3 KW of 110V AC power from the main battery. In a power outage (or camping), it would let you plug in & run an appliance or charge your devices. Kind of like a small portable generator.

Unfortunately our Volvo P8 (and its platform cousin the Polestar 2) appears to have no such feature. Further, it looks like you couldn't even really run something off the 12V outlets (like an AC inverter) for camping or power outage. According to the user manual, the car only supplies power to the 12V outlets when someone is sitting in the driver's seat (eg, either Comfort Mode or Driving Mode). I haven't tested this myself but if true, it seems disappointing & not very useful.

So assuming there's a person sitting on the Driver's seat, i could then use the 12V socket in the trunk to charge my Cell phone ? Pardon my ignorance!
That would have come in SUPER handy when Dallas (most part of TX) had that winter storm blackout for days end. We were so concerned our Cell phones would run out of battery incase we needed to call for help

 

[sbixby]

So assuming there's a person sitting on the Driver's seat, i could then use the 12V socket in the trunk to charge my Cell phone ? Pardon my ignorance!
That would have come in SUPER handy when Dallas (most part of TX) had that winter storm blackout for days end. We were so concerned our Cell phones would run out of battery incase we needed to call for help

🧐
There's two USB-C ports in the area under the infotainment center, two on the back of the console for passengers; does this not serve your purpose for charging phones? Might need adapters since USB-C is a bit slow to take over in the US. USB-C is rated for higher charge currents than regular USB ports.

 

[MMK]

🧐
There's two USB-C ports in the area under the infotainment center, two on the back of the console for passengers; does this not serve your purpose for charging phones? Might need adapters since USB-C is a bit slow to take over in the US. USB-C is rated for higher charge currents than regular USB ports.

DUH !!! AHhahah totally ! I was over-thinking ! Thanks for the reminder !!!

 

[Dan in Connecticut]

Obviously Volvo/Polestar doesn't support true vehicle-to-grid (V2G) reverse charging - I think only some Nissan vehicles support that currently with special wall charging stations. Tesla is long-rumored to be working on it also.

But I was wondering to what extent could we use our P8's big electric batteries to charge/run stuff around the house during a power outage? Can I plug in my iPhones/iPads to the USB ports to charge them multiple times? Could I plug an inverter into a 12V outlet to run some limited AC household devices (say a laptop or small refrigerator)?

Our P8s have a 12V battery in addition to the big 78KWh electric motor battery. The 12V battery presumably runs the 12V and USB outlets. So is the big 78KWh battery constantly recharging the 12V battery? Or does the 12V battery only recharge when the car is hooked up to a charging station?

I'm curious how much of the stored 78KWh we could actually use during a power outage. Thanks!

I can’t find the 12V battery nor can I find where it might be from the “owner’s manual”. “Where oh where has my little…”

 

[SeattleCat]

If you have to ask where the battery is then you should not be allowed to know where it is. (Joke)

I was actually wondering the same the other day. Decided in the end it must be hidden for a reason and that probably is to stop us jump starting ice vehicles.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

I can’t find the 12V battery nor can I find where it might be from the “owner’s manual”. “Where oh where has my little…”

The 12V battery is underneath the cover in the "frunk". See the diagram in @Cuelaw57's post above. You have to remove the cover to access it.

 

[sbixby]

I can’t find the 12V battery nor can I find where it might be from the “owner’s manual”. “Where oh where has my little…”

Owners manual shows it: 12 V battery | Battery | Maintenance and service | XC40 Recharge Pure Electric 2021 | Volvo Support

It's under a panel under the hood, can pop some pin-rivets out and there it is. I have been wanting to go through the motions and examine what's under there.

 

[sbixby]

Seems like some of us do little more than refresh the forum page.