The bi-directional bonus for EVs

Bi-directional charging is a value-added feature that seems certain to help accelerate EV adoption.

Although other automakers have talked about the potential for electric vehicles (EVs) to use their increasingly powerful batteries for purposes beyond propelling the vehicle, it was Ford that brought the capability known as bi-directional charging to prominence when it revealed details of its new F-150 Lightning last May. A subsequent high-visibility marketing campaign dramatically showed the Lightning using its bi-directional charging capability to power a sizeable home during a power outage.

Now, just months before the Lightning hits dealer showrooms, the outsized response to the Lightning - Ford has twice doubled the truck's projected annual production volume to a current 150,000 units - and the gee-whiz nature of its Intelligent Backup Power capability may accelerate the industry's march toward bi-directional charging as a standard feature for most EVs. Although there is specific hardware and software required on both sides of the charging cable to derive the benefits of the so-called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability, none of it requires a deal-breaking investment for either OEMs or consumers. And fast-moving innovations in onboard power electronics - particularly the vital AC/DC inverters that are at the heart of bi-directional capability - promise to reduce costs and broaden possibilities.