Hyundai Ioniq 5 V2G: E-car tests electricity delivery for own home

Following the Porsche Taycan, Hyundai is now also testing the possibility of using their electric cars as electricity suppliers for their own homes. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is to use Vehicle-to-Everything technology (V2X) and feed electricity into various grids with the help of the battery.

V2G tests on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 are underway

Following Porsche’s lead, Hyundai is now also testing V2X technology on the Ioniq 5. It describes the possibility of being able to use electricity as easily, efficiently and cheaply as possible to feed into purely battery-powered electric vehicles.

Vehicle-to-everything technology (V2X) consists of the categories vehicle-to-grid (V2G) for feeding electricity into the public grid, vehicle-to-building (V2B) for houses and vehicle-to-home (V2H) for private homes. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology can also be used to supply power to electrical devices in the passenger compartment and to charge electrical devices with up to 3.6 kW via the on-board 230 V socket.

V2G technology is thus designed to enable energy to flow in both directions between the high-voltage battery and the public power grid, for example, so that surplus energy can be discharged directly when a Hyundai Ioniq 5 is parked in the evening.

The resulting electricity can be delivered to local utilities and is then available to other consumers. In this way, Hyundai aims to counteract the increased demand for electricity in the morning and mitigate the increased electricity load in the evening. However, special charging stations are required for this.

Tests in Germany and the Netherlands

Initial V2X pilot projects are already underway in Germany and the Netherlands with modified versions of the Hyundai Ioniq 5. One focuses on V2H, the other on V2G. The V2H pilot project in Germany is being conducted by Hyundai CRADLE (Centre for Robotic-Augmented Design in Living Experiences) Berlin.

Within a closed energy system, this will test whether and how efficiently the electric car can be used to share electricity with the home. Modified Ioniq 5 vehicles are equipped with the same bidirectional on-board charger that is already used in the series production models of the E-CUV.

As part of the “We Drive Solar” project, Hyundai is supporting the city of Utrecht in collaboration with a Dutch mobility provider. As part of the project, 25 Ioniq 5s are to be provided for a car-sharing solution offered to residents of recently built housing estates. The next step will be to jointly test V2G technology via public charging stations specially developed for this purpose.

V2G in Hyundai models to go into production

The Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) developed by Hyundai for the Ioniq 5 already allows external electrical devices to be charged and powered. While driving or stationary, e-bikes, e-scooters or notebooks can thus be charged with up to 230-volt alternating current via V2L.

V2G relies on similar technology, but a different software solution. “For the exchange of energy with the power grid within the framework of V2G, a communication protocol must first be defined between the BEV and the grid,” states Hyundai in a press release.

The on-board charger in the top models of the Ioniq 5, which is suitable for bidirectional charging, will also be able to be used for V2G technology at a later date. Hyundai plans to unveil a new electric car in the near future that will feature V2G technology ex-factory.