V2G charging tech for Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVs back to MY17
Vehicle-to-grid charging technology will soon be available for the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which now includes a sporty new GSR variant as part of an updated model.
Vehicle-to-grid – or V2G – has been available on the Outlander since late 2016 (MY17 models) but is only being enabled now following the imminent arrival of new hardware required to liase with Australian electricity grids.
While the just-updated Outlander PHEV will be able to power a house or feed electricity back into the grid, older Outlander PHEVs dating back almost four years will also be able to benefit from the bi-directional charging tech that is being touted as an EV game changer.
Key to the availability of V2G technology is a vehicle-to-grid charger, something that has delayed Nissan from offering it on the Leaf EV, which is otherwise technically capable. Infrastructure provider Jet Charge is about to begin selling the first V2G charger, the Wallbox Quasar, expected to cost about $8000.
Mitsubishi says the charger was put through grid certification in recent weeks and is expected to be available early in 2021. By late 2021 Mitsubishi expects more bi-directional charging options, one of which could include Australian company Rectifier Technologies.
That then unlocks to potential to use the Outlander PHEV as an electricity storage device.
The Outlander PHEV was initially offered with a 12.0kWh battery but in December 2019 that increased to 13.8kWh.
That’s similar to the 13.5kWh available from a single Tesla Powerwall, which sells from $11,700 (excluding installation, which can add a few thousand dollars). Most houses would require at least two Powerwalls, especially if they want to use them as the sole energy source; most households use between 15 and 30kWh of electricity per day, although that varies depending on the home, the location, the season and whether the home has energy-intensive systems such as a pool or heating.
While there are obvious benefits for families wanting to use their car to power their home – or a holiday home that’s off the grid – Mitsubishi Australia sees V2G technology as particularly appealing to fleet buyers.
“Where we do see opportunity for real gains is in the fleet space,” says Mitsubishi Australia product strategy manager Tim Clake. “V2G can offer you near 100 percent asset utilisation.”
Clarke says Mitsubishi will be working on proving the V2G concept first before starting to “push it into areas where it’s a good fit”.
While V2G is well suited to properties with solar systems – allowing clean electricity to be stored in the car battery before being used overnight – there are also benefits for houses only connected to the electricity grid. Owners can buy electricity at cheaper rates in off-peak periods, for example, before using it directly from the car’s battery during peak times.
Such usage has energy providers and governments exploring the role electric cars can play in balancing demand and loads across the day.
In the recent Federal Budget the Australian Government allocated millions of dollars to trials of V2G technology.
Through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) the government has already embarked on a V2G trial of 51 Nissan Leafs with public servants living near Canberra.
