Plea to electric car owners ahead of expected 'hottest summer on record'

With the weather warming up and bushfire season officially here, authorities are warning Australians in bushfire-prone parts of the country to prepare as best they can ahead of what the BoM says could be one of the hottest summers on record.

A recent survey found 74 per cent of Aussies have experienced power outages due to adverse weather, leaving them feeling isolated and disconnected.

The data also found that nationally, 65 per cent of respondents had been impacted by a natural disaster, with one in 10 going three or more days without electricity. Some even experienced power loss for more than a week or a month — a worrying statistic with the country facing potentially deadly conditions.

It's prompted an unlikely plea to electric vehicle owners in Australia, who experts say have the capacity to help out big time in the event bushfire affected families suffer a power outage.

Adele Coswello, Chief Customer Officer mycar Tyre & Auto, told Yahoo News the fact that EVs can also be a source of power is "still quite new information" – but something that will prove to be a serious benefit this summer.

"If needed, the average charged EV holds enough power to run a small house for several days," Coswello told Yahoo News Australia. "In fact, mycar research revealed that one third [30 per cent] of EV owners didn’t know that they could discharge their vehicles to donate their power."

V2L charging an 'emerging' technology

The process is known as V2L charging and is increasing in popularity in Australia and around the world. Vehicle to grid (V2G), vehicle to home (V2H) and vehicle to load (V2L) are all terms which involve the bi-directional flow of energy between electric vehicles, homes and the grid. EV owners may be familiar with these terms, with many of them already driving cars with the capability, but it's largely a topic industry experts are still learning about.

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Described as effectively a massive battery on wheels, EVs could have the power to assist significantly in bushfire recovery in the coming months, prompting a new campaign from mycar, calling on Australians to sign up to be a volunteer "Charger". The program will see these EV owners donate their car’s battery power to those in need after a natural disaster.

Australians discover electric vehicles' incredible capabilities

Those who have registered and are in close proximity to the area will be notified that they may be required to donate their EV’s power, if they are still able to. Once the area is deemed safe to enter, the mycar chargers will work with the local authorities to support those in need.

Many manufacturers — such as BYD and Tesla — already sport the convenient feature in some of their models. Yahoo News recently reported on an Aussie camper who used it for one simple, yet very effective function — to brew a humble a cup of tea. "It’s very handy on a road trip to be able to boil a kettle for a cup of tea [using your car]," the BYD owner gleefully said in August.

Earlier this year, Yahoo also spoke with a Tasmanian man who used his BYD to power an entire school's server room, which was undergoing maintenance during the holidays. IT technician Matthew Taylor explained how his "mighty little Dophin" provided electricity "to the server room during a planned switchboard upgrade", running "infrastructure and switching like a champion".

Ross De Rango, Head of Energy and Infrastructure at the Australian Electric Vehicle Council, agreed the tech is handy. De Rango said he believes the technology could revolutionise the power grid in time. "The amount of battery storage that will ultimately exist in the batteries in our cars will dwarf all other forms of grid-connected storage," he earlier told Yahoo.

"The mycar Chargers trial is focused on providing access to home comforts, such as charging a phone to call loved ones, that can help to improve the overall well-being of someone who has experienced a natural disaster," Coswello said. The company is encouraging all V2L EV drivers across Australia who are interested in taking part in the trial to register their interest.

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