Tesla Model 3 and Y finally get bidirectional home charging

Imagine the power goes out in the middle of a Friday afternoon, but your refrigerator keeps running because your car is plugged into the garage. Tesla just added vehicle-to-home bidirectional charging to the Model 3 and the Model Y. All new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles ordered in the U.S. after October 1 come with the capability built right into the factory. The secret hardware inside the car is a new inverter called the PCS2 Lite, which is related to the power conversion system used in the Cybertruck. But there is a catch before you plug in. For your car to feed electricity back into your dwelling, your home must have a Tesla Energy Powerwall 3 home battery backup system and a compatible Tesla Wall Connector. A Powerwall 3 installation runs well into five figures depending on your home, so this is not a cheap setup if you do not already own the equipment. Unlike some other electric vehicle backup setups, Tesla’s system includes a battery on the house side so the car pack acts as a backup to that backup. When the Powerwall runs low during an outage, your vehicle simultaneously supplies electricity to the house and recharges the home battery pack. Tesla estimates that a standard car battery pack will extend an average home’s backup by about 2 days, while larger packs in the Premium and Performance models push that past 2 days. The maximum draw reaches 11.5 kilowatts, giving you plenty of juice to run household essentials while you wait for the grid to come back online. Owners of older Model 3 and Model Y vehicles might also get a chance to join in, as Tesla service documentation includes a draft procedure to upgrade older cars to the new inverter hardware. Check the Powershare Support screen under your software menu to see if your specific car left the factory ready for the grid.