Vehicle to Load (V2L) - Any Information or First Hand Experiences?

[Coulomb]

Sorry if it's already been posted,

It has.

I think that these two topics should be merged. But my moderator powers seem to be clipped at present.

 

[paulIoW]

Does anyone know how to get hold of a Vehicle 2 Load (V2L) lead to use with the 2022 MG ZS EV Long Range? I am waiting on a response from MG UK but there doesn't seem to be much information available other than the fact the specification states the car has a Vehicle to Load capability at a maximum load of 2200 watts. The V2L capability is of little benefit unless you have a V2L cable to use it!

You can convert a charging cable to a discharge cable by changing a resistor in the connector to 470 ohms. the MG ZS EV then recognises the cable as a discharge cable. Here is the link.

 

[Geo68]

V2L is a complete gimmick, I just can't see where it would be of much, or any value in the real world. Many of the car companies are promoting it to use when one goes camping - for the price of those adapters it's possible to buy a low-end solar generator and for around a hundred euros more add the portable panels (so don't need to recharge from mains) to give you far more flexibility than having to be within a few feet of the car (and compromising the range by using up your battery).

For example: 89.94￡ |500w/peak 1000w portable power station 568Wh 153600mah Outdoor camping generator lithium battery (100w solar panel Optional )|Solar Battery Chargers & Charging Kits| - AliExpress

I'm sure there will be people for whom V2L will solve world hunger, but unless the adapters are sensibly priced, I can't see how this will really take off or be of use for anyone.

I fly rc planes and quads all leccie ofcourse. Would be handy for charging batteries but not at that price ?

 

[sproglett]

I can't see any problems with this. Though the Hyundai adapter apparently has a thermal shutoff, in case the socket gets hot. That would not be difficult to add DIY either. It would just go in series with the resistor.

Possibly a residual current breaker might be a good idea, though it's not clear whether it would work without a connection to earth. An earth connection is tricky on a vehicle with rubber tyres. The manufacturers' V2L adapters don't seem to have them, so I guess that's OK.

Good idea. Just add a ptc in series with the 440 resistor and reduce the resistor value by the ptc cold resistance

 

[Julian256]

Today I connected a couple of heaters to my ZS EV using a V2L cable. I successfully pulled 3kW for 10 or 15 minutes

 

[Coulomb]

I successfully pulled 3kW for 10 or 15 minutes

Nice! You break stuff so we don't have to! ?

Thanks for that.

Edit: my guess is that it will work up to the rating stated on the inverter. I don't have one, so I don't know what that limit is. I have a vague memory of seeing it posted about once, and it was of the order of 3 kW.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Nice! You break stuff so we don't have to! ?

Thanks for that.

Edit: my guess is that it will work up to the rating stated on the inverter. I don't have one, so I don't know what that limit is. I have a vague memory of seeing it posted about once, and it was of the order of 3 kW.

2.5kW stated by MG.

 

[Lovemyev]

2.5kW stated by MG.

MG have probably built in a bit of redundancy into that figure of 2.5 kw’s.
If the inverter WAS rated at 3kw’s then maybe they do not want to “over stretch” it over a longer period of time.
So, they have reduced the figure back to 2.5 kw’s as a safety feature.
Pulling 3 kw’s over a short time maybe fine, but longer exposure maybe a issue ???.
Pure guess work on my part here ?‍.

 

[Julian256]

The 2.2kW figure sounds suspiciously like 220V multiplied by 10A - 10A being a safe current to put through a 13A fuse for long periods.
I would imagine the inverter has an overpower cutout, but I wasn't willing to push it that far to test it.
The inverter does get warm over time - I ran the V2L for about 10 hours at 1.5kW and the inverter/on-board-charger box was pleasantly warm in one corner.

 

[Shanecb]

I purchased one of these to see if this works as a V2L adapter. Not got the car yet, but for the price, worth a go...

V2L Load EV Cable Car Adapter Type2 to UK 13A Plug Discharge Station Female Blue | eBay

I have some pictures from the seller of it opened up, so even if the resistor is not rated correctly, should be very simple to swap it.

 

[Coulomb]

even if the resistor is not rated correctly

The last photo shows that the resistor is one kilo-ohm (less 0.4%, according to that meter). This seems to be the value for a common V2L car brand, probably Hyundai.

As you say, it's easy enough to fix if you're familiar with electronics.

Edit: only 2 available!

 

[Shanecb]

The last photo shows that the resistor is one kilo-ohm (less 0.4%, according to that meter). This seems to be the value for a common V2L car brand, probably Hyundai.

Oh good, he's added the pictures to the listing now. Well, I'll give it a go and see and change the resistor if needed... Just need the car to test it on now!

 

[JohnInFrance]

Finally got the time to complete my V2L cable this morning.

I was originally going to add a CEE female connector to the end (as I have a ton of UK and EU extension leads that have male CEE connectors so it would be more universal), but it's quite big and almost anything we would charge when out and about has EU plugs, so went with an IP44 female Schuko in the end.

Make sure to properly insulate the resistor to prevent any potential short circuiting.

And volla - all done.

And the car recognises it just fine

And a very quick (and very nasty!) video of the first test:

 

[N2STY]

Love the over kill to run a usb fan?

 

[JohnInFrance]

Love the over kill to run a usb fan?

I agree, but it was the closest thing to hand that would show up on a video, hahaha.

 

[N2STY]

Hmmm

 

[Lovemyev]

Very neat and tidy job @JohnInFrance .
Nice bit of heat shrink over the resistor ?.
Cost of the job ????.

 

[JohnInFrance]

Very neat and tidy job @JohnInFrance .
Nice bit of heat shrink over the resistor ?.
Cost of the job ????.

As I already had all of the tools, heat-shrink and resistors it was under 90€.

 

[JohnInFrance]

I thought that I'd try and put this to bed now that a few people have got the V2L cables fabricated (or purchased) and running.

You do not need to spend a king's ransom on an expensive cable from MG, but you should get one made from quality, EV rated components.

To that end I have attached the wiring diagram to this post that shows for EU, UK and Commando connections and below is the shopping list of components. Things like the Type 2 connector/cable are rising in price almost every day at the moment (the one I have linked to here has gone up over £10 since I purchased it a few weeks back for example).

However, as of today, it is possible to purchase all the parts needed and fabricate a 5m V2L cable with a UK double gang outlet for under £85 - an ENORMOUS saving on the MG price (if it ever materialises) and still a big saving over EV Cables.

Shopping list:

Type 2 Male connector with 5m pre-attached cable (£68.56)

470Ω 1W resistors (x10) (£1.89)

You only need ONE of the following depending on your country/requirements:

UK 2-gang rubber durable socket (£5.99)

Female 16 amp CEEE (Commando) socket (£8.78)

Female 16 amp Schuko IP44 (5,54€)

 

[Harry]

Greatly appreciated - just ordered the double socket one.

0.5 metre in black only available at the moment.