One of the most lauded features of electric vehicles is bi-directional charging, which allows the car to function as a huge mobile power bank. Tesla is about to get in on the action, as it revealed the feature would come in 2025 at its Investor Day.
SVP of Powertrain and Energy Engineering Drew Baglino revealed the feature roadmap during a Q&A session. He also explained that the feature had been missing because it wasn’t a priority then.
Baglino said Tesla is currently redesigning its power electronics and will add bi-directional charging functionality in the next two years.
CEO Elon Musk, however, didn’t expect users to embrace the feature, “I don’t think very many people are going to use bi-directional charging, unless you have a Powerwall. Because if you unplug your car, your house goes dark. And this is extremely inconvenient.”
Baglino agreed with his boss, saying, “Most of the value comes in charging the car at the right time. It’s not really about sending energy the other way.”
However, Musk conceded the feature could be a supplementary energy source for Powerwall owners.
Bi-directional charging comes in several forms, including vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-home (V2H), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G).
The Volvo EX90, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Chevy Silverado EVs offer bi-directional charging.
