Using your electric car to power your house sounds cool, but it takes 21 years to pay off at current rates.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
Grid Impact and Economic Benefit of Vehicle-to-Home Load Shifting with Stochastic Models
SSRN · 6460631
The Takeaway
Despite the hype around 'bidirectional charging,' current utility price structures make it a financial loser for consumers. The wear and tear on the car's expensive battery currently far outweighs any marginal savings on a standard electric bill.
From the abstract
Load shifting with vehicle-to-home (V2H) electric vehicles (EVs) offers a promising approach to addressing grid management challenges associated with increasing electricity demand and higher penetration of renewable energy. However, limited empirical data exists on the real-world performance of bidirectional EV load shifting, making simulation-based analysis essential. In this study, we evaluate the impacts of V2H load shifting through an aggregate grid impact metric, consumer electricity saving