Your electric vehicle holds more usable energy than a typical home battery, often several times more. Bidirectional charging is the umbrella term for letting some of that energy flow back out: into an appliance, into your house, or onto the grid. As of October 2026 you can buy a complete, automaker-supported home backup setup for more than a dozen models, and the list grew twice this year: PG&E added Kia, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan combinations in August, and Tesla extended home backup to newly ordered Model 3 and Model Y cars in October.
This page is a snapshot. The vehicle list will keep changing faster than the concepts, so we say what is current and what is structural, and we name the source for each vehicle.
Three terms that get used interchangeably (and shouldn't)
People say "bidirectional charging" to mean very different things. The hardware, cost, and usefulness differ enormously depending on which one you mean.
V2L is the easy one. Many EVs already ship with it, and it requires no electrician. V2H is the one most homeowners actually want, because it turns the car into backup power. V2G is the most talked-about and the least available, because it depends on your utility offering a program and approving the connection.
V2L: already here, already cheap
Vehicle-to-load is the most widely available form of bidirectional power. Output depends on the vehicle. Ford's Pro Power Onboard on the F-150 Lightning goes up to 9.6 kW through ten 120-volt outlets and one 240-volt outlet. At the other end, Nissan says the 2026 Leaf can power devices through up to three 120-volt outlets at 1,500 watts. Most other models with V2L fall somewhere between.
V2L will run a refrigerator, a few lights, a space heater, and device chargers. It will not run your central air conditioner or whole-home loads, and it does not connect to your electrical panel on its own. Think of it as a very large, very quiet generator outlet.
V2H: who sells it as of October 2026
Vehicle-to-home is what lets the car back up your house through the panel when the grid goes down. It is a system, not a feature of the car alone, so the table below pairs each vehicle with the equipment its maker or PG&E's program names.
GM has the longest list. GM Energy lists a dozen Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac models as V2H-capable, from the 2024 Silverado EV through the 2027 Bolt. The equipment is GM's PowerShift charger, which charges at up to 19.2 kW, plus a V2H Enablement Kit (a home hub, an inverter, and a small battery that restarts the system in a blackout). GM rates the kit for 9.6 kW of backup power, and it sells the two together as a V2H bundle. Some 2024 models need a dealer visit or an over-the-air update before they will send power back.
Tesla now covers more than the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck has had Powershare home backup since late 2023, through a Powershare Gateway and Universal Wall Connector, and in September it gained the ability to work alongside a Powerwall 3 (our coverage). In October, Tesla extended home backup to Model 3 and Model Y cars ordered on or after October 1, 2026 in the US and Puerto Rico. Those cars need a Powerwall 3 and a Wall Connector, and Tesla says some, not all, earlier cars are capable too; the car's software menu shows whether yours has "Powershare Support." Model 3 and Model Y can back up the home but cannot send power to the grid. Tesla lists continuous output of about 11.5 kW.
Kia's EV9 works through a Wallbox charger. Hyundai Motor Group dates Kia's US V2H launch for the EV9 to February 2025, and Wallbox opened pre-orders for the charger on March 4, 2025. The hardware is the Wallbox Quasar 2, which plugs into the car's CCS1 port and discharges up to 12.48 kW of DC power, per Wallbox. Backup also needs Wallbox's Power Recovery Unit, and Wallbox says the home's electrical service must be 200 amps or less. Wallbox is taking orders from EV9 owners only; PG&E's program also lists the 2025 and newer EV6. Hyundai has said V2H is coming to the IONIQ 9 but has not given a date.
Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan use a third-party charger. PG&E's eligible list pairs the 2025 Volvo EX90, the 2025 Polestar 3, and 2018 to 2025 Nissan Leaf models with the dcbel Ara, a DC bidirectional unit. Polestar's own release notes say V2H is starting with customers in California. Treat this group as early: ask the installer what output the system delivers with your car and what happens if a future software update changes support.
The F-150 Lightning is winding down. Ford says its automatic home backup works with 2022 to 2025 F-150 Lightning trucks through the Home Integration System, which Sunrun sells, but it also needs the Ford Charge Station Pro, and Ford says that charger "is no longer available for sale." Ford ended production of the current Lightning in 2025. If you already own a Lightning with a Charge Station Pro installed, the backup path still exists. If you do not, Ford's alternative is essential-circuit backup from the truck's Pro Power Onboard outlets through a separately purchased GenerLink transfer switch, which runs selected circuits rather than the whole panel.
What a V2H system actually requires
A compatible vehicle alone is never enough. Five pieces have to line up.
We do not list equipment prices. They change often and depend on which pieces your home already has, so a figure printed here would be wrong for most readers within months. What drives the total is the same everywhere: the bidirectional equipment, the transfer equipment, any panel or service upgrade, and whether you back up the whole home or a critical-loads subpanel. Get written quotes that itemize all four. Continuous output for the systems above runs from 9.6 kW to about 12.5 kW, enough for essentials and moderate air-conditioning, not every large appliance at once.
V2G: still a utility pilot, but a real one in California
Vehicle-to-grid sends energy back to the utility, ideally earning the owner credits or payments while helping balance the grid. The technology works, but for most homeowners it is not something you can simply sign up for, because it needs:
- A utility that offers a program and an interconnection pathway
- Approval to export power, which is a higher bar than backup-only V2H
- Equipment approved for grid export, not just islanded backup
The largest open residential program we found is PG&E's Vehicle to Everything program in Northern and Central California. It pays residential customers $2,500 upfront ($3,000 in disadvantaged communities), plus a $1,500 early adopter incentive for the first 250 to enroll, and enrollment runs through June 30, 2027. Participants must also enroll in the Emergency Load Reduction Program, which pays for cutting load during grid emergencies. Not every combination can export: PG&E lists GM's system as backup only, while the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford, Kia, and dcbel combinations can export under a Rule 21 interconnection agreement. Massachusetts ran a similar demonstration through its Clean Energy Center, but applications are closed. Outside programs like these, treat V2G as future upside, not a reason to buy today.
Who V2H actually makes sense for right now
V2H is still a premium add-on rather than a core reason to buy an EV. The strongest case is when you want backup power and already have a large battery sitting in the driveway most of the day. For everyone else, a standalone home battery may be simpler if backup is the only goal, since it does not tie up your car or depend on its state of charge. If you are weighing options for the next outage rather than the next car, our guide to charging and power during an outage ranks them by cost and practicality.
Last factually verified: October 17, 2026, against GM Energy's V2H-capable vehicle list and its PowerShift charger, V2H Enablement Kit, and V2H bundle product pages; Ford's F-150 Lightning home power management FAQ, Pro Power Onboard page, and its December 15, 2025 announcement that production of the current Lightning would end that year; Wallbox's Quasar 2 product page and its March 4, 2025 pre-order announcement; Hyundai Motor Group's November 28, 2025 release on Kia and Hyundai V2H; Polestar's Polestar 3 software release notes; Nissan's 2026 Leaf page; and PG&E's Vehicle to Everything program page and its August 24, 2026 announcement. Tesla's site blocks automated access, so the Model 3 and Model Y Powershare details come from Electrek's October 6, 2026 report quoting Tesla's Powershare support page; check that page yourself before buying. Vehicle lists and program terms change frequently. evcharginghelp.com is editorially independent and receives no compensation from any company mentioned.
