Using the Leaf for home power backup

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Zootjeff

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2013
Messages
15
I live in an area near Seattle that experiences frequent power outages and my home is wired for generator backup. My home actually came with a portable 6000w generator but it hasn't been run in 10 years and the engine needs to be rebuilt so I'm holding off on that project..

My options are to go buy a new generator, one that will put out a lot of fumes, noise and need gas or propane every 8 hours.. or spend thousands of dollars on a dedicated natural gas system. Or buy a portable 2000watt 120v-only setup and only do the fridge.

I could connect to the Leafs 12v 80amp system and get about 700watts to maybe run the fridge, no.

I have a 24kWh 400v battery sitting in my garage. What I really want is a product that has a DC quick charge connector on one side, and a two pole 120/240v 30amp twist lock on the other side. It would ideally have 20A per pole up to 4800 watts. It would generate it's own 60hz 2-pole 240/120v inverter power, and I would plug it into my generator outlet, throw the switch-over breaker and my house has power in the power outage.. I would avoid running the elecric dryer and the electric stove, vacuums, etc but furnace, fridge, lights, computers, bathroom fans, all still work.

Anyone want to start a kickstarter with me? Or has this already been done?
 
CHAdeMO is designed to be used this way, but I'm not sure if the necessary equipment is available outside of Japan yet.
 
These are interesting :

http://insideevs.com/nissan-leaf-powers-a-concert-using-v2h-chademo-video/

http://www.green-frontiers.net/green-frontiers/2016/09/21/introducing-v2h-vehicle-to-home-system-first-in-south-asia/

https://www.homepower.com/articles/vehicles/all-electric/use-your-electric-car-power-your-house

http://world.honda.com/powerproducts-technology/engineer-talk/PowerExporter9000/sp/
 
Is anyone familiar with CarGenerator.com? Anyone use one? Would such a product be safe for the LEAF? Of course the owner says it's safe for ICE and electric cars. We would love a $4k LEAF to Home box, but too pricey. This only costs $695.
 
It should be safe. Remember to keep the Leaf in Ready Mode, not accessory mode. The 1kw version is reasonable, but the larger capacity versions are overpriced.
 
Not too bad of a package.

We have an inverter as part of our sub pump battery backup system, so have thought about using that as a fall back if we had an extended power outage.
 
LeftieBiker said:
It should be safe. Remember to keep the Leaf in Ready Mode, not accessory mode. The 1kw version is reasonable, but the larger capacity versions are overpriced.

Thanks, I might have made that mistake.
 
DougWantsALeaf said:
Not too bad of a package.

We have an inverter as part of our sub pump battery backup system, so have thought about using that as a fall back if we had an extended power outage.

How long a period of time would you be comfortable using either? The longest outage we usually have is between 6-12 hours.
 
I have a sump pump backed up with a UPS as well. I have a 100AH "marine" battery attached, and I wouldn't trust it past maybe 8 hours when new. (The total runtime will vary by whether it runs almost continuously or cycles on and off every 15 minutes or so, or something in between, and by the current draw of the pump.) Now it's about 6 years old - time to replace that battery.
 
What do people think of this one for a home backup and emergency car power supply.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/elechive-portable-universal-super-power-station?utm_source=Ape&utm_medium=FB&fbclid=IwAR0guhSEenq3RO3ZL0nUE9k4rAeK1dbjfqIhy5WKPuUL9GodJJjXwQs9YF4#/
 
As a car emergency power supply, sure. As a home backup it's too small. And this hype concerns me:

Thanks to its advanced battery pack technology, the ElecHive 2200 has definitely reached the ultimate energy density for a product of its kind. This is very important because it means no similar product can have the same battery capacity at a smaller size.

Bullshit.
 
The other option was a Setec 3 or 6 V2H set up, but guessing that is a few thousand.


http://www.setec-power.com/product-category/ev-charger/vehicle-to-home/

It would be cool, but too expensive to justify.
 
I don't want to have to email them for the damned price. How much is the 3kw version? I'm in the process of doing a lot of work to enclose my cheap 7kw gen out in the front yard, but in a few years I'd much rather use the ePlus for backup power.
 
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