MG4 powering other stuff (Vehicle to Load aka ‘V2L’)

[NickT]

We lost power here in Scotland for 2 days due to storm Eowyn. End of day one our petrol generator packed up, so plugged in the MG4 instead. We used it to power a large fridge and large freezer, our internet, 4 lamps and charging phones and tablets and batteries for torches. It worked wonderfully. Between 10am and 8pm on the second day it went from 100% battery to 96% battery. We were about to try it with the TV when we got power back. I understand the MG4 can supply 2.2kW so I think it would have worked with the TV also.
I liked that you could set the % of battery to use up, so wouldn’t accidentally end up with a dead car. I wondered if anyone else has using the V2L function?

 

[MG Clive]

Excellent @NickT

 

[Rolfe]

I was using it in the summer to boil the kettle and blow up my air mattress with an electric pump while camping. I was using full-size 3 kW kettles and it was fine. In fact at one point I accidentally had the kettle and the pump on at the same time and nothing blew.

My issue is the distance from where the car is parked in the garage to the kitchen and the living room, and wondering just how the extension lead logistics would work. Also, that the central heating boiler doesn't have a free plug, so I'd have to run an electric heater if I didn't want to freeze, and that would consume some juice. OK if you have a log-burning stove. Or for me if I got my living flame LPG fire fixed.

 

[Everest]

We used it to power a large fridge and large freezer, our internet, 4 lamps and charging phones and tablets and batteries for torches. It worked wonderfully.

Good... but for your safety be aware of earthing and RCD needs if you are powering devices that are not double-insulated (e.g. your fridge and freezer) - see my posting here...

MG4 Discharge Cable

Hello Everybody, As storm Darragh played hell with our electricity supply in Cornwall and we were without power for 15 hours, it occurred to me that we had an EV sitting outside with a battery at 75% full. So, I was wondering if anybody had ever purchased a discharge cable for the MG4 and if so...

www.mgevs.com

 

[wattmatters]

I've used it multiple times to supply supplemental charge to our home battery during longer grid outages. Video demonstrating it in action:



I've since set up a means to be able to leave the car in the garage during such instances.

Last April I had one day/night where I drew 22 kWh from the MG4 battery.

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

Using mine now to charge my 500AH battery bank as I'm completely off grid.

Been a game changer over these last two winters.

I use 10% per night.

(48v into 5000w Inverter)

 

[Everest]

wondering just how the extension lead logistics would work

IMHO it's better to do what @wattmatters and @Bricktop X PWR do, which is to charge up home ESS batteries from a charger attached to the V2L output of the MG4. Then your house is powered via your existing inverter. But.. that would require installing a 'critical loads' circuit and will only work if your system uses regular 48V batteries and not HV ones.

 

[GabiV]

We lost power here in Scotland for 2 days due to storm Eowyn. End of day one our petrol generator packed up, so plugged in the MG4 instead. We used it to power a large fridge and large freezer, our internet, 4 lamps and charging phones and tablets and batteries for torches. It worked wonderfully. Between 10am and 8pm on the second day it went from 100% battery to 96% battery. We were about to try it with the tv when we got power back. I understand the MG4 can supply 2.2KW so I think it would have worked with the tv also.
I liked that you could set the % of battery to use up, so wouldn’t accidentally end up with a dead car. I wondered if anyone else has using the V2L function?

This is exactly why I am here looking for answers. We have bought our fantastic MG4 LR about 3 weeks ago and last 4 days we had no power in the house also because of Eowyn. We have a log burner so we were comfortable enough, we could also heat up water and cook some basic food on top of the log burner (fantastic porridge), but a TV and fridge and maybe internet would be nice. I had a look at MG own V2L cable, but that is £250, but good looking. Is there a cheaper version/brand of a V2L cable that I can safely use? There is lot of £20-40 adapters on Amazon or Ebay but are they any good/safe/waterproof? As well as powercut we had lots of rain here in Scotland, so waterproof cable/connection is a must. Thank you .

 

[Rolfe]

I have one of the £25 adaptors you mention from eBay and it works absolutely fine, but I can't tell you about waterproof. I only used it in dry weather, and if I'd had to use it during Éowyn, the car was in the garage anyway.

 

[DixieTGS]

Also, that the central heating boiler doesn't have a free plug, so I'd have to run an electric heater if I didn't want to freeze, and that would consume some juice.

Does anyone know if having the boiler electrics supplied via a free plug is allowable? I assume earthing requirements would have to be met somehow, but other than that?

If OK and it's just adding an extra plug and socket to the circuit I might be tempted to get ours changed, as it sounds like a pretty quick job the next time the heating engineer visits.

I guess it would also be a way of attaching it to a critical loads circuit should we end up getting batteries at some point .

 

[Rolfe]

I'm not sure but my installer is coming to have a look next week, so we'll see what he says.

 

[bedsev]

There is lot of £20-40 adapters on Amazon or Ebay but are they any good/safe/waterproof?

I can vouch for the ebay ones working well, in terms of water proofing I have one of these for normal charging https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09878XD4X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which would cover the connection to the extension lead and would at least shower proof it.

 

[Barrie]

Does anyone know if having the boiler electrics supplied via a free plug is allowable? I assume earthing requirements would have to be met somehow, but other than that?

If OK and it's just adding an extra plug and socket to the circuit I might be tempted to get ours changed, as it sounds like a pretty quick job the next time the heating engineer visits.

I guess it would also be a way of attaching it to a critical loads circuit should we end up getting batteries at some point .

I did just that. I wired my GCH boiler to a plug rather than into the main fuse board so I could run the heating via my off grid solar system in the event of a power cut - which we have regularly here in rural France. The electric only really runs the pump and the main board and draws around 150w so no safety issues. You could quite easily draw that from V2L on your MG.

 

[mg4mc]

Our Worcester-Bosch boiler was wired with a plug/socket when it was installed about 10 years ago.

 

[Corindikev]

The MG4 Inverter is capable of delivering 32 Amps at 220 volts which equates to 7kW of power. Most of the V2L adapter cables limit the output to 2.2 kW or thereabouts for good reason.

Most people are blissfully unaware of how electricity works and plug a 10 amp extension lead in to the V2L & then connect a power board or 3 to run everything in the house. This is why the V2L limits the output. If it didn't the extension lead would overheat & eventually burst in to flames with obviously disastrous results..

 

[Everest]

Does anyone know if having the boiler electrics supplied via a free plug is allowable? I assume earthing requirements would have to be met somehow, but other than that?

I'll give my 2p worth, though please note I'm not a Part-P qualified sparky.

Should all be possible, but there are a number of things that should be considered. IMHO these are:-

a) Does the boiler supply also power the central heating pump and central heating controller? They often do but if it doesn't supply the pump and controller, it won't run in the even of a power cut. More importantly is if the controller is supplied via a different supply to the boiler then connecting the boiler to a different circuit than its controller can result in a failure within the boiler electronics as there could be a potential difference between the two circuits.

b) I'd recommend getting a sparky in to look at earthing requirements for running from the V2L output. That will (as I mentioned in the posting I linked to in post #4 above) require separate TT eathing point and RCD on your supply from the vehicle. That could be compounded if the gas or water pipes are used for local earthing - your sparky will need to consider earth bonding and potential neutral currents.

c) In all cases, eathing is especially important for a boiler as, unlike a fridge, it is not just that device that could become live under a failure condition, it would be taps and radiators too as well as other pipes. Too many heating engineers have been killed from electrocution.

d) If all the above are addressed then, by all means have the boiler connected to a standard, but not switched, 13A plug / socket, with suitable (e.g. 3A) fuse. The reason I say "not switched" is for protection of heating engineer during maintenance. If the boiler is connected to a switched socket it is likely an engineer may simply switch the socket off to work on the boiler, that is not safe because only the live connection is switched, whereas when hard-wired from a fused spur there will be a double-pole disconnection. Using a non-switched socket will force the engineer to remove the plug completely.

 

[T1 Terry]

I believe if the 20 mtr extension cord was 4mm² cable, it could carry the 32 amps if the cable was in open air.
An electrical device called an RVD Residual Voltage Technology - Residual Voltage Technology will protect against an electric shock where a 2 wire floating supply is used. It is referred to as a "floating system" because neither line 1 of line 2 and connected to the earth circuit, the RVD looks for voltage on the earthing circuit rather than current imbalance between the active and neutral. Double pole switching is still required because both line 1 and line 2 are active .....

T1 Terry

 

[NickT]

I didn’t want to pay for the MG V2L so I got one from Tough Leads as previously ordered a Tough Lead extension for our emergency generator and has been robust. Wanted a cable I could trust, was still pricy at £179 See picture.

 

[aardvark5]

Last week I was on a Coach holiday and the driver saw me looking at EV Chargers in the services car park.
He then started reciting all the EV myths crap over and over and I slowly tried to put him right.
Then he said 'but what if all the electric goes down?"
I said "Well how would you fill your petrol car with it?"
'There's already petrol in it' he said and of course I replied 'but there's already electricity in my car for a good 250 miles".
He didn't get it, he thought you must have to charge before you go out
He was from my area and I asked what he did in December when all the power went down for 3 hours and he said we had to sit in the dark.
I told him I didn't because I ran a lead from my car, plugged the TV and satellite system in and we carried on watching TV.
Mind blown.

 

[Archev]

Last week I was on a Coach holiday and the driver saw me looking at EV Chargers in the services car park.
He then started reciting all the EV myths crap over and over and I slowly tried to put him right.
Then he said 'but what if all the electric goes down?"
I said "Well how would you fill your petrol car with it?"
'There's already petrol in it' he said and of course I replied 'but there's already electricity in my car for a good 250 miles".
He didn't get it, he thought you must have to charge before you go out
He was from my area and I asked what he did in December when all the power went down for 3 hours and he said we had to sit in the dark.
I told him I didn't because I ran a lead from my car, plugged the TV and satellite system in and we carried on watching TV.
Mind blown.

None so blind as those who won’t ev