this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
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It's probably marketing for V2L specifically I think.
It allows EVs to backfeed power through the charger cable into your home's circuit breaker via a safety switchover, (if specced during charger installation - I doubt that feature was used here though) and doesn't necessarily require the vehicle to be powered up. I.e. the car just behaves like a battery and a 2-4kW inverter for your home AFAIK.
You could probably do the same thing manually with an ICE, maybe would want to run the engine at least though, as the built in starter batteries won't last too long and don't like deep cycling. A death cable would technically work, but you'd really want a switchover box in a proper installation to not kill line operators repairing a power fault, and to retain proper GFCI operation
A lot of the more expensive EVs have this built in, although they don't really publicly mention it for some reason. Ford's F150 lightning is a really blatant example of this, it supposedly carries a much beefier inverter than average, but they've hidden the info behind a tiny link at the bottom of the webpage. It's not even shown in the specifications grid.
The lack of exposure for this particular feature of EVs and PHEVs is kind of baffling to me. The ability to use your vehicle essentially as a UPS for your home is huge. My Outlander PHEV is capable of V2H through its CHAdeMO port but finding the equipment to actually use it seems just about impossible.
Even without special equipment though it has two 120V AC outlets and is rated for a combined output of 1500W through them. Definitely nice to have in a pinch. With a fully charged battery and full tank of gas it could run those outlets at maximum load for about a week.