Vehicle-to-Home (V2H): Which EVs Can Power Your House in 2026?

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Your EV already has a battery bigger than any home battery you can buy — a Tesla Powerwall 3 is 13.5 kWh, a Ford F-150 Lightning Extended Range is 131 kWh. If the car could push that power back into the house, one truck could carry a typical home for a week. That is the promise of vehicle-to-home (V2H), and in 2026 it is finally arriving in production form.

This guide covers which EVs actually support V2H today (not “someday”), what hardware you need on the house side, what it costs, and how V2H stacks up against buying a stationary home battery.

What V2H actually means

V2H is bidirectional power flow between your EV and your home’s electrical panel. The car discharges through a bidirectional charger into a hub that is wired into your main or critical-loads panel, powering the house during an outage or (in some markets) during peak-rate hours. The car is refilled overnight from cheap grid power or from solar.

V2H is not the same as V2L or V2G. V2L (vehicle-to-load) means a household outlet on the vehicle itself — you plug in a fridge or a power tool directly. V2G (vehicle-to-grid) means the utility can pull from the car through a program to help the wider grid. V2H sits between them: whole-home power, but the owner controls when and how.

How V2H works

The three pieces are the car, the bidirectional charger (a wall-mounted inverter-charger that can move power in either direction), and the home integration hub with a manual or automatic transfer switch that isolates the house from the grid during an outage. When the grid drops, the hub disconnects, the charger switches to discharge mode, and the car powers the panel.

Peak power output depends on the charger and the car — most current V2H systems put out 9.6 kW continuous, which is enough to run a typical whole home except for the largest simultaneous loads. Total runtime depends on the pack size and how much you draw. A 130 kWh EV running a 2 kW average house load could theoretically last 65 hours, though most owners keep 20 to 30 percent in reserve for driving.

Ford F-150 Lightning

The Lightning was the first mass-market EV in the U.S. to ship real V2H. Paired with the Ford Charge Station Pro (an 80-amp charger) and the Home Integration System (Sunrun or Delta-brand transfer hub), the Lightning delivers up to 9.6 kW to the house for up to three days on a full charge (Ford’s estimate at typical usage; longer with load management or larger batteries).

Extended Range models carry 131 kWh; Standard Range carry 98 kWh. Either dwarfs a home battery, and the whole system is a Ford-supported installation with dealer, warranty, and app integration through FordPass. Cost for the home hardware is around $3,900 to $5,000 plus installation.

GM Silverado EV and Sierra EV

GM’s Ultium platform trucks — Silverado EV, Sierra EV, and the second-generation Hummer EV — support V2H through GM Energy’s PowerShift charger and PowerBank home hub. The Silverado EV RST carries a 205 kWh pack, the largest in any production EV in North America. That is enough to carry a typical home for over a week at average draw.

GM’s system also supports whole-home output at similar 9.6 kW levels, and GM Energy is integrating the PowerBank as a stationary battery in its own right — so the same hardware can hold home solar even when the truck is unplugged and driving.

Nissan LEAF (the CHAdeMO story)

The Nissan LEAF was the world’s first mass-market V2H car, launching bidirectional charging in Japan in 2012. In North America the LEAF still uses the CHAdeMO fast-charge port, which the Wallbox Quasar 2 and a small handful of other bidirectional chargers can talk to.

The LEAF’s pack is small by 2026 standards — 40 or 62 kWh — but it is the cheapest V2H-capable car by a wide margin. Used LEAFs can be bought for under $15,000, and paired with a Wallbox Quasar 2 you can add real V2H for less than the cost of a Tesla Powerwall 3 installed. The catch is CHAdeMO’s declining support in North America; if you rely on public fast charging, this is not the car to buy.

Kia EV9 and Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 6

Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform vehicles — Kia EV9, EV6, Niro EV, Hyundai IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and IONIQ 9 — support V2L standard through the built-in ICCB adapter. V2H is rolling out through Hyundai Home in partnership with Emporia, using a bidirectional Level 2 charger and home hub, first in California and expanding through 2026.

Pack sizes range from 77 kWh (IONIQ 5) to 99.8 kWh (EV9). The V2L output is limited to 1.9 kW at the standard outlet on the car, which is enough for tools, a fridge, or a portable AC in a pinch, but real V2H through Hyundai Home lifts that to the full 9.6 kW whole-home level.

Lucid Gravity and other newer entrants

Lucid’s Gravity SUV supports bidirectional charging out of the box, including V2H, V2L, and V2G. The company built its own DC-to-DC architecture that eliminates some of the AC/DC conversion losses of other systems. Rivian has announced V2H for R1T and R1S owners with a firmware update paired with the Rivian Wall Charger 2 and a home hub, rolling out through 2026. Tesla still supports V2L only (not V2H) as of this writing on Cybertruck.

V2H hardware you actually need

You need three things beyond the car: a bidirectional charger (Ford Charge Station Pro, GM PowerShift, Wallbox Quasar 2, Emporia bidirectional, or the OEM-approved unit for your car); a home integration hub with an automatic transfer switch; and permitting from your utility for interconnection. Some utilities are quick, others are slow — check before you commit.

Wiring depends on whether you are backing up the whole panel or a critical-loads sub-panel. Whole-home requires the same load-management thinking as a home battery — a smart panel or a critical-loads sub-panel keeps a 9.6 kW output from tripping under a big HVAC or dryer surge.

An outdoor-rated Level 2 EV charger is the visible piece of the setup; the hub, transfer switch, and interconnection work are what most of the money and permitting time go toward.

Cost breakdown

Ford’s Home Integration System with Charge Station Pro runs $3,900 for hardware plus $2,000 to $5,000 for installation depending on distance from the panel and existing wiring. GM Energy’s stack is in the same range. Wallbox Quasar 2 for LEAF is around $6,500 hardware plus install. Hyundai Home pricing is $5,000 to $7,000 installed. Add utility permitting fees of $200 to $1,000 depending on jurisdiction.

The federal 30 percent residential clean energy tax credit does not currently apply to V2H hardware alone; it does apply when the system is integrated with solar and a stationary battery. See the federal solar tax credit guide for what qualifies in 2026.

V2H vs a home battery: which one wins

V2H wins on capacity — no home battery you can buy for less than $30,000 holds as much energy as a 130 kWh EV pack. V2H wins on marginal cost — if you already own the qualifying EV, the incremental cost for backup is $6,000 to $10,000 vs. $15,000 to $25,000 for a comparable home battery. V2H wins on flexibility — the “battery” comes and goes with you.

A home battery wins when the car is not home. If you drive to work daily, your primary backup asset is in the parking lot from 8 to 5. A home battery is always there. A home battery also does not require you to keep 20 to 30 percent in reserve to actually go somewhere. Many households run V2H and a small home battery together — the battery covers everyday load shifting and short outages, the car is the deep reserve for multi-day events. See our guide to battery backup vs standby generator for the parallel financial comparison.

Key takeaways

• V2H is real and shipping in 2026 from Ford, GM, Hyundai/Kia, Lucid, and via aftermarket chargers for the Nissan LEAF.
• Most V2H systems deliver 9.6 kW continuous to the house — enough for whole-home with load management or critical-loads without.
• Expect $6,000 to $10,000 all-in for the home-side hardware and install, plus utility interconnection.
• V2L is a household outlet on the car; V2H is whole-panel backup; V2G lets utilities pull power. All three are different and require different hardware.
• V2H pairs well with a small home battery — battery for daily load-shifting and short outages, EV pack for the multi-day reserve.

FAQ

How long can my EV power my house? Divide the usable pack (leave 20 percent reserve) by your average draw. A 100 kWh EV at 80 percent usable and a 2 kW home average lasts 40 hours; at 1 kW with load-shedding it lasts 80 hours. Multi-day outages are realistic with a truck-sized pack.

Does V2H damage the EV battery? The impact is small in normal use. Cycling from 100 percent to 20 percent adds one “cycle” to the pack, and modern LFP and NMC packs are rated for 1,500 to 3,500 full cycles. Even weekly use for backup is a fraction of the pack’s total cycle life.

Can I do V2H without a permit? No. Every V2H installation requires utility interconnection approval because it can push power back through the meter. Interconnection is typically simpler than a full solar-plus-battery install, but it is not optional.