Picture this: the power goes out in your neighborhood, but your lights stay on, your fridge keeps humming, and your phone keeps charging. Sound like a fantasy? It’s real, and it’s happening right now for a growing number of EV owners who’ve tapped into vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging. Your electric car’s battery can actually send electricity back into your house during an outage, and in some cases, it can keep things running for days or even weeks.

• General Motors has made V2H a standard feature across its Ultium-based EVs for 2026, covering everything from the Chevrolet Bolt to the Cadillac Celestiq.
• A fully charged Ford F-150 Lightning can provide full-home power for up to three days, with the ability to offload up to 9.6 kilowatts of energy.
• Over a 15-year vehicle lifetime, V2H charging could save owners between $2,400 and $5,600 in energy costs.

How V2H Charging Actually Works

V2H charging is especially appealing to those dealing with summer and winter power outages. It’s a bidirectional capability that allows the vehicle to provide home backup power during an outage or send power back into the house during peak hours to reduce energy use. You’ll need a compatible EV, a bidirectional charger, and in most cases an enablement kit or home integration system installed by a professional electrician.

The concept is pretty straightforward. Your EV’s battery stores a large amount of electricity. Instead of letting it sit there while you sleep, V2H tech lets you route that stored energy back through your home’s electrical panel. V2H charging from an electric vehicle can replace the need for a conventional whole-house backup generator to protect against outages.

The Full Lineup of V2H-Capable EVs

So which EVs can actually do this today? The list has grown quickly over the past year.

GM’s Ultium EVs: The 2026 Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV SUV, GMC Hummer EV SUT, GMC Sierra EV, Cadillac Celestiq, Cadillac Vistiq, Cadillac Escalade IQ, Cadillac Optiq, and Cadillac Lyriq all support V2H. The recently announced 2026 Chevy Bolt also returns on GM’s Ultium platform, offering 150 kW charging, 255 miles of range, a native NACS connection, and bidirectional V2H capability with GM Energy’s home products. That’s a big deal for budget-minded EV shoppers. If you’ve been browsing Cincinnati Chevy dealers or any other Chevy showroom lately, the Bolt’s V2H feature paired with its sub-$30K price tag makes it tough to pass up. To enable bidirectional charging, you’ll need a GM Energy Home System with the PowerShift Charger and V2H Enablement Kit, available bundled at $8,098.

Ford F-150 Lightning: With the ability to offload up to 9.6 kilowatts of energy, a fully charged F-150 Lightning can provide full-home power for up to three days, and it can last as long as 10 days if you ration that power. Ford’s system uses the Charge Station Pro Level 2 charger and an inverter installed by Sunrun to supply power to your home.

Tesla Cybertruck: Tesla Cybertruck owners have two options for powering their homes. If they already have a Tesla Powerwall, they don’t need anything else. Otherwise, they’ll need a Universal Wall Connector charger, a Powershare Gateway, and a Tesla Backup Switch, running about $3,500 plus installation.

Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90: Polestar and dcbel are rolling out V2H, blackout backup, and smart charging features for Polestar 3 owners in the U.S., starting in California, using dcbel’s Ara home energy system. The V2H offer could help drivers cut charging costs by as much as $1,300 a year and serve as emergency backup for over a week.

Kia EV9: A new V2H service allows Kia EV9 owners in select U.S. states to store energy in their vehicle’s battery and send power back to their homes during power outages.

Honda and Acura (Coming Soon): Honda announced that its upcoming Acura RSX will feature bidirectional home charging, previewing a future where every new EV built on Honda’s own global EV platform will support both V2H and V2G capabilities.

What Does It Cost to Set Up?

There’s no getting around it: V2H isn’t free to install. Beyond buying the EV itself, you’ll need charger hardware and professional installation. A full GM Energy Home System bundles a bidirectional charger, PowerBank battery, home hub, and inverter for around $12,700, not including installation. The V2H Bundle without the PowerBank runs about $7,300. Ford’s system carries similar costs, and total system costs often exceed $15,000 once you factor in electrical upgrades and permits.

That said, the long-term savings can add up. According to a University of Michigan study, “you can save several thousand dollars in electricity costs over the life of the car.” In some parts of Texas and California, the cost savings from V2H charging actually exceed the cost of charging the vehicle, meaning owning an EV could reduce a household’s overall electric bill.

Is V2H Worth It for Your Next EV?

If you live in an area prone to power outages, V2H is a serious selling point. Even if your power stays on consistently, the ability to charge your car during off-peak hours and use that stored energy during expensive peak periods can pay for itself over time. 2026 is shaping up as a breakthrough year for bidirectional charging as it breaks into the mainstream. With automakers like GM baking V2H into their entire EV lineup and Honda jumping in soon, expect the hardware costs to come down and the list of compatible vehicles to keep growing. For now, the EVs listed above are your best bet for turning your car into a home backup system.