Volt = Standby whole house generator?

[Andy0x1]

Any word on the possibility of using the Volts generator to supply standby power for your home, or maybe even a camping trip?

[ChrisC]

I don't think we'll see anything like that in Gen 1, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it later. Google for "V2G", aka vehicle-to-grid integration. Utilities, EVSE suppliers and car companies are working on it hard right now. See also "grid-tie lineman safety".

Boy, Andy, you are busy this morning starting threads.

[rhodomel]

You can buy a nice lightweight generator at Home Depot for about $200. Modifying your Volt to supply the same power would cost a lot more than that.

[Andy0x1]

You can buy a nice lightweight generator at Home Depot for about $200. Modifying your Volt to supply the same power would cost a lot more than that.

Are you talking about the 4-stroke 80cc Sportsman that pumps out 1500W RMS?

I'm not sure I would qualify that as a whole house generator

The Voltec powerplant is over 30x that.

So I guess if you want to buy 30 some $200 generators

[MrEnergyCzar]

since it has 3 12volt outlets, can't you just plug in a couple of 12volt dc to ac converters into the outlets and run a few 120 volt home items using the volt? When the battery goes down, the engine comes on...

[ChrisC]

When the voltage goes down, the current goes up ...

Damn that Ohm's Law!

[hermperez]

Most likely it will have to be a third party inverter that can take the 400v DC of the battery and make 110 and 220VAC out of it.. UQM was talking about a such an inverter (5kw) about 2 years ago. GM could also use the main drive inverter do the same thing, probably at a fairly low cost. That tri-phase inverter can put out 110kw but probably has to be de-rated by 2/3 since you only want to use one of the phases for 220VAC.

[Altazi]

When the voltage goes down, the current goes up ...

Damn that Ohm's Law!

Actually, no. What you are describing is a constant-power situation, and this is not covered by Ohm's law.

E = I*R
where E = voltage (electromotive force), I = current, and R = resistance

This can be solved for current as I = E/R, and as you can see, the current will vary linearly with the voltage.

The constant-power transfer function requires an active controller, e.g., switching power supply or inverter. Since power (P) = E*I, then an inverse relationship exists between E and I when P is held constant.

[ChrisC]

Since power (P) = E*I, then an inverse relationship exists between E and I when P is held constant.

I see you came around on that one. I accept your apology

P = I * E
120 Watt load = 1 Amp x 120 Volts = 10 Amp x 12 Volts

My little joke was meant to imply that the problem (well, one of a few problems) with running AC loads from an inverter on the DC accessory ports is that you need to suck 10 times the CURRENT (more actually due to inverter losses) from the DC port. For any substantial load, like house loads as discussed in this thread, the current at 12VDC is prohibitive -- and in actuality well beyond the wire rating and your accessory circuit fuse will pop.

Now, running an inverter directly off the high-voltage traction battery? Awesome. Sign me up.

[Altazi]

I see you came around on that one. I accept your apology

Apology?

P = I * E
120 Watt load = 1 Amp x 120 Volts = 10 Amp x 12 Volts

Also important here is the fact that P = I^2*R. Resistive losses become excessive due to the squared term on the current. To compensate, wire sizes increase and other components must become commensurately beefy, increasing expense.

My little joke was meant to imply that the problem (well, one of a few problems) with running AC loads from an inverter on the DC accessory ports is that you need to suck 10 times the CURRENT (more actually due to inverter losses) from the DC port. For any substantial load, like house loads as discussed in this thread, the current at 12VDC is prohibitive -- and in actuality well beyond the wire rating and your accessory circuit fuse will pop.

Now, running an inverter directly off the high-voltage traction battery? Awesome. Sign me up.

If the Volt (or any EV) is V2G-capable, I'm sure it would have some kind of warning or auto-shutoff when the battery (or fuel for the ICE) gets too low. Imagine having your EV power your house during an outage, and then be unable to make a meaningful trip in your EV.