V2L allows your electric car to power everything from ebikes to Xboxes – here's why you want to make sure your EV has it

Some of the benefits of driving an electric car are obvious. There’s the lower fuel cost when home-charging overnight, and how most can be pre-warmed or cooled before you get in. But one of the most convenient features of an EV is also one you might have overlooked – V2L.

This stands for Vehicle to Load, and it’s a system where domestic appliances can be charged and powered directly from an electric car. Since EVs are essentially massive batteries on wheels – and most journeys not requiring a full charge to reach the destination – some of that electricity can be put to good use elsewhere, and that’s when V2L gets to work.

What is V2L?

In short, Vehicle to Load lets the traction battery – the big battery that drives the car, as opposed to the much smaller one used to power ancillaries – supply external AC electricity. Since a typical EV battery capacity is around 50 to 100 kWh, it can be used to power or charge a huge range of products and appliances, while using only a tiny bit of your car’s range.

For context, a 100-watt device like a typical television theoretically consumes about 0.1 kWh per hour of use – so just a fraction of your EV’s capacity. This means that even a modestly sized EV with a partially charged battery can easily run a TV, power camping equipment or charge a couple of electric bicycles without sacrificing a chunk of range.

This electricity is usually delivered in one of two ways. Some EVs have a domestic socket in the cabin or boot, so you just turn the car on, plug in the appliance, and it works exactly as it would at home. I remember doing this with a Honda e back in 2020, when an Xbox could be powered from a three-pin socket in the cabin, then plugged into the dashboard display with an HDMI cable for a bit of gaming at the charge station.

The other way V2L works is with an adapter that plugs into the car’s charge port. Usually sold separately, these cost from around £100 and basically give your car a domestic outlet, ready for powering appliances or charging devices.

An important point is that cars with V2G generally let you set a minimum battery level, so you’ll always have enough energy to get home or to your next charge stop – no need to worry about accidentally draining the battery.

What can V2L actually be used for?

V2L is one of those features that's easy to overlook or even dismiss entirely until you’ve tried it. But once you’ve used your EV to power a camping stove, a kettle, a television, a device charging station or power tools, you’ll quickly realise how useful the technology can be.

Use cases can be as simple as powering a laptop while you’re at a charge station, or as demanding as powering a bunch of camping equipment – from an inflatable mattress pump, to a coffee machine, a small fridge, a portable induction hob, or a projector and speakers for campsite movie night.

The limitation is rarely battery capacity, since EV batteries are so large, but is instead power output. V2L systems typically provide an output of a few kilowatts. This is fine for charging devices and powering things like televisions and an induction hob, but powerful items like kettles can outstrip supply. So you can’t simply hook up a multi-outlet extension cable and treat the EV like your house. But with a bit of research and planning, V2L can still transform how your car is used while parked.

Which electric cars have V2L?

V2L is increasingly common right across the EV market. Cars using the E-GMP platform of Kia, Hyundai and Genesis all have it, along with cars from BYD, Volvo, Polestar, Volkswagen, MG and Renault, among others.

What’s the difference between V2L, V2H and V2G?

There are quite a few ways to use the battery of an electric car, aside from merely driving it. We’ve covered V2L, but it’s worth quickly mentioning some other ‘V2’ systems. V2H stands for Vehicle to Home, and is where the car’s battery can be used to supply a house, via a bidirectional charging setup.

In theory, all you need to do is hook the EV up to your wall charger, and its battery can be used to run your house – plus, if the EV was charged using a cheap overnight tariff, then tasked with powering your home during pricier daytime hours, you’ll save some money. That said, such a setup requires a compatible car, charger and home electrical installation.

V2G stands for Vehicle to Grid, and is where energy stored in your electric car can be sent back to the national electricity grid, via your home charger. In theory, this could help balance grid demand and let owners take advantage of variable electricity prices, but this isn’t widely available for now.

Collectively, these technologies are known as V2X.

Should your next EV have V2L?

Unless you have a very specific use case, V2L remains a nice bonus rather than a must-have feature. If you work outside with power tools and can’t always rely on a nearby domestic socket, then V2L could be a game-changer. But for most people it’ll be a nice-to-have feature on the odd occasion they remember to use it.

That said, if you’re especially outdoorsy, charging e-bikes and powering camping gear from your EV could quickly become second nature, and a must-have for your next electric car.