Bidirectional charging is often considered one technology, but in practice there are important differences between the V2G, V2H and V2L variants. Each has a different purpose, different technical requirements and a different level of availability. In this article, we explain exactly what these abbreviations mean, how they differ technically, and where we are now with development.
V2L: Vehicle-to-Load
What is V2L?
V2L stands for Vehicle-to-Load. This is the simplest form of bi-directional charging. With V2L, the electric car’s battery provides power directly to external devices via a wall outlet or adapter. You can compare it to a mobile power bank, but much larger.
The technology works relatively simply. The car has a built-in inverter that converts the direct current (DC) from the battery to alternating current (AC) of 230V. This power is made available through an outlet in the car itself or through an adapter you plug into the charging port. Power is usually limited to 1.5 to 3.6 kW – enough for smaller appliances, but not for heavy consumers such as electric cooktops or heat pumps.
What do you use V2L for?
V2L is especially useful in situations where you don’t have access to the power grid:
- At the campsite: power a kettle, refrigerator or laptops without connecting to the grid.
- For freelancers and construction workers: use power tools on site without a generator. The car acts as a silent, emission-free power source.
- Events and markets: power food trucks, coffee bars or music systems at temporary venues.
- Emergency Power: keep some essential appliances running at home during a power outage, such as lights, a modem or refrigerator.
- Charging other cars: via V2L, you can even slowly charge another electric car if it runs out of power.
Availability and current situation V2L
V2L is the only form of two-way charging that is already widely available. Several cars support V2L by default or via an adapter. Examples include the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6, Kia EV6 and EV9, MG4, Ford F-150 Lightning and BYD Atto 3. You don’t need a special charging station – just the car and possibly an adapter.
The big advantage of V2L is its simplicity. It requires no infrastructure, no cooperation with grid operators and no complex software. It works right out of the box and requires no additional investment. You buy a car with V2L, plug in devices, and it works right away.
The limitations are obvious: power is limited, you can’t power an entire house, and there is no automatic control. You plug in devices manually and it provides power until the battery is (almost) dead or until you stop it. But for mobile applications, V2L is already practical and valuable.
Future perspective V2L
V2L is a mature technology that will only become more widely available. More and more car manufacturers are adding V2L to their models, and the power could potentially increase in the future. But the basics remain the same: a mobile power source on the go. V2L will primarily serve as a complement to V2H and V2G, not a replacement.
V2H: Vehicle-to-Home
What is V2H?
V2H stands for Vehicle-to-Home. V2H is still in its infancy and is not yet widely available. In this technology, the electric car delivers energy not to individual appliances, but to the home itself. The car becomes a temporary home battery. Power from the car goes through a bi-directional charging station to the meter box and from there to all appliances in the home.
The main difference from V2L is scale. Whereas V2L delivers limited power (up to 3.6 kW), V2H can deliver significantly more – often between 3 and 11 kW, depending on the car and the charging station. That’s enough to power an entire household, including heating, cooking and other larger consumers.
How would V2H work?
V2H calls for a bi-directional charging station linked to the meter box. This charging station must be able not only to send power to the car, but also to receive power from the car and convert it to usable AC power for the home. It also requires software that determines when the car charges and when it discharges, based on energy prices, consumption and the user’s scheduled trips.
A crucial difference from V2G is that with V2H, the energy only stays within the home. No power is fed back into the public grid. This makes V2H regulatory simpler – you basically don’t need permission from the grid operator because you have no influence on the public grid.
V2H can be achieved in two ways: via AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current). With AC-V2H, the inverter is in the car and a modified AC charging station is used. With DC-V2H, the inverter is in the charging station. AC is simpler and cheaper, but DC can work faster and with more power.
What can V2H be used for?
V2H potentially offers several advantages:
- Maximizing self-consumption of solar energy: during the day, the car could charge with cheap or self-generated solar energy. At night, when the sun is no longer shining but consumption is high, the car delivers that energy back home. That way you become less dependent on the grid and use more of your own generated energy.
- Leveraging dynamic energy tariffs: with a dynamic energy contract, power prices vary hourly. You could charge when power is cheap and use the car during expensive hours, which would lower the energy bill.
- Emergency power supply: in the event of a power outage, the car could continue to power the house temporarily. With an average electric car (60 kWh battery) you can keep a household running for several days.
- Saving grid capacity: by taking fewer peaks from the grid, you can avoid overloading your grid connection. This is especially relevant for homes with limited connection capacity.
Availability and current situation V2H
V2H is not yet available to individuals. Although the technology exists and there are cars that have the hardware on board (such as the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV9, Renault 5 and Volvo EX90), the full chain to get V2H working is lacking.
The problem is not in the quality of charging stations or cars – charging station manufacturers are actually eager to make V2H a reality. The challenge is that car manufacturers, charging station manufacturers, software developers and energy suppliers must all be ready and perfectly aligned at the same time. A car with the right hardware must communicate with a compatible charging station, which in turn must work with energy management software, while the energy supplier must offer a suitable contract. If one link is missing, the whole system won’t work.
Some vendors do offer “V2G-ready” or “bi-directional ready” charging stations, but they can’t actually charge bi-directionally yet – they’re just better prepared for the future, so you don’t have to replace the entire charging station later.
The technology is being developed and several pilots are underway, but large-scale availability to consumers is still several years in the future. What is mainly lacking is standardization between all parties and clear business models for energy suppliers.
Future perspective V2H
In theory, V2H is easier to implement than V2G because there is no feed-in to the public grid. Therefore, V2H is expected to become available to consumers sooner than V2G. But again, this is still about years, not months.
When V2H becomes available, it will be especially attractive to households with solar panels and a dynamic energy contract. The combination of own generation, smart in-vehicle storage and flexible energy consumption can provide substantial savings and increase independence from the grid.
V2G: Vehicle-to-Grid
What is V2G?
V2G stands for Vehicle-to-Grid. This is the most advanced and complex form of bi-directional charging. With V2G, the electric car delivers energy not only to the home, but also actually back to the public power grid. The car becomes part of the energy system and helps balance supply and demand.
The goal of V2G is not primarily to serve individual households, but to make the entire power grid more stable and efficient. When many cars are connected and available for V2G at the same time, together they can act as a huge, distributed battery. They charge when there is a surplus of energy (for example, during the day with lots of sunshine) and feed back when there is scarcity (for example, during evening peaks).
How does V2G work?
V2G requires the most complex infrastructure of all three variants. Not only must the car support bidirectional charging and the charging station be suitable, but the entire chain must work together: car manufacturer, charging station manufacturer, grid operator, energy supplier and software developer.
The charging station must be able to communicate with both the car and the grid. This is done via protocols such as ISO 15118, which exchange information about battery status, charging speed and the state of the grid. The software determines in real-time when charging and discharging is optimal, taking into account grid capacity, energy prices and the mobility needs of the user.
A crucial difference from V2H is that V2G affects the public grid. That means there are safety requirements, grid operators must give permission, and a separate agreement is often needed with the energy supplier. V2G also requires the charging station to be able to synchronize with the grid frequency (50 Hz in Europe) and to have systems in place that prevent power from flowing back at unsafe times.
What can V2G be used for?
V2G has a different goal than V2L and V2H. It is not so much about individual convenience as it is about the collective energy system:
- Reduce grid congestion: in regions where the power grid is congested, connected cars can accommodate peak times by temporarily returning energy. This relieves pressure on the grid and can delay or even prevent infrastructure expansion.
- Integrating renewable energy: solar and wind energy are variable. V2G provides a buffer: store energy when the sun shines or the wind blows, and feed it back when production is low.
- Financial compensation: in the future, electric car owners could be paid for making their battery capacity available to the grid. Grid operators or energy suppliers would then pay for flexibility – a new source of income for car owners.
Availability and current situation V2G
V2G is not currently available to individuals or regular businesses. The only place where V2G is operational on a large scale is in our pilot project in Utrecht, in cooperation with MyWheels and Renault. There, 500 electric shared cars are being used for V2G. These cars charge when there is a surplus of solar and wind energy and feed back during peak times, measurably reducing grid congestion.
But this is a controlled trial environment. The cars are specially equipped, the charging stations are specially developed, and there is direct cooperation with grid operator Stedin. For individuals or businesses, V2G is not possible. You cannot buy and install a V2G charging station, and there are no energy contracts that facilitate feed-in to the grid.
The reason is the enormous complexity. Legislation must be amended, grid operators must open up their systems, energy suppliers must develop suitable contracts, and car manufacturers and charging station manufacturers must implement standards. In addition, double energy taxes must be avoided – currently you pay energy taxes on charging as well as on feed-in, which makes V2G financially unattractive.
Future perspective V2G
European regulations (AFIR) require that from 2030, new public charging points must be bi-directionally capable. This forces manufacturers to invest in the technology and implement standards. The Netherlands is leading the way with pilot projects and open standards, which means we are well positioned to scale up quickly once the technology is mature.
But don’t expect a quick breakthrough. V2G requires coordination between too many parties. Each grid operator has its own systems, each municipality has its own rules for charging infrastructure, and each energy supplier has its own tariff structures. All of this must be coordinated before V2G can be widely available.
For private individuals, V2G remains futuristic for now. In the coming years, V2G will focus primarily on professional applications: shared cars, company fleets and public charging infrastructure. Only after that, when the technology is proven and standardized, can scaling up to private individuals follow. This is a matter of years, not months.
Technical comparison at a glance
| Feature | V2L | V2H | V2G |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Power |
1.5 – 3.6 kW
|
3 – 11 kW |
3 – 11 kW per car |
|
Target |
Mobile devices |
Whole house |
Public net |
|
Infrastructure |
Car only + adapter |
Bidirectional charging station + software |
Bidirectional charging station + grid synchronization + grid operator |
|
Communications |
No |
Car ↔ charging station ↔ home |
Car ↔ charging station ↔ grid operator |
|
Protocols |
Internal steering |
ISO 15118 |
ISO 15118 + grid protocols |
|
AC or DC
|
DC→AC in car |
AC or DC |
Mostly DC, AC in development |
|
Permission grid operator
|
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Availability now |
Widely available
|
Not available
|
Only in pilots
|
|
Timeline |
Now |
In the future |
In the future |
|
Complexity |
Low |
Medium |
High |
FAQ
What is the main difference between V2L, V2H and V2G?
The difference is in the destination of the energy. V2L delivers power to individual devices via an adapter (1.5-3.6 kW). V2H delivers power to the entire home via a bi-directional charging station (3-11 kW). V2G delivers power back to the public grid and helps reduce grid congestion. Complexity also differs: V2L is already working, V2H is coming in a few years, and V2G is only available in pilots for now.
What form of two-way charging can I use now?
Only V2L is widely available. Cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, MG4 and Ford F-150 Lightning can power devices via an adapter. V2H and V2G are not yet available to individuals and/or businesses. Suitable charging stations, regulations and energy contracts are lacking for that purpose.
What is the difference in infrastructure between V2L, V2H and V2G?
V2L requires only the car and possibly an adapter, not a dedicated charging station. V2H requires a bi-directional charging station connected to the meter box, but no permission from the grid operator. V2G requires the most complex infrastructure: a bi-directional charging station that communicates with the electricity grid, plus permission from the grid operator and cooperation with the energy supplier.
Why is V2H becoming available faster than V2G?
The reason for this assumption is because with V2H energy stays within the home, no power is fed back to the public grid. Therefore, V2H is regulatory simpler and you don’t need permission from the grid operator. V2G affects the public grid and therefore requires cooperation with many more parties, safety requirements and adapted legislation. This makes V2G more complex and takes longer to make widely available.
Can I use V2H if I want V2G, or vice versa?
No, not just like that. V2G equipment can in principle also V2H, because V2H is technically less complex. But not all V2H systems can automatically V2G, which requires additional functionality to communicate with the public grid and synchronize with the grid frequency. Moreover, V2G requires permission from the grid operator and a different type of energy contract.