KONA ELECTRIC COOKED! DEATH BY V2L, IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE

EV Channels Review

John Cadogan tests the Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality of the Hyundai Kona Electric, with dramatic results. While the car's 230V/15A outlet is theoretically capable of powering household appliances during an outage, Cadogan's attempt to run a 15-amp welder overloaded the system, triggering an 'onboard charger malfunction' error. He discovered that the car's V2L system has a lower surge capacity than the grid, making it susceptible to tripping its internal breaker when powering high-demand devices like welders or even a combination of everyday appliances like a kettle and a fridge kicking in simultaneously. Although the system reset after a reboot, the error message reappeared, necessitating a dealer visit. Cadogan concludes that while V2L is an attractive feature for power outages, users must be mindful of the total power draw, both steady-state and surge, as the car's inverter is less forgiving than the home grid.