Did you stop and wonder what this article is about, powering your home with a car? You've been reading about generating power with solar panels, windmills and now your car? The answer is yes, you will one day be able to power your home with a car but you can't buy the car today. The concept was introduced by Toyota at this year's 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
We know there are a lot more weather related emergencies, and lots of homeowners are buying home generators for backup power. It's like an insurance policy because losing power to your home for more than a few hours, means throwing out all the food in your refrigerator and freezer. And when the weather gets too cold, a generator allows you to keep warm enough that you don't have to go stay with friends or find a hotel room.
In the future, certain cars will be able to act as your backup generator when you lose power. You can watch the video from CES below, and learn more about the Toyota Mirai at Toyota's website on hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV). Here are some hilights about the car, and how it can be used to power your home.
- Like the Toyota Prius, the high voltage bus is a DC bus
- There's a “power out” connector, similar to the one used to run the car, in the trunk of the car.
- Water is the only substance that hydrogen-powered cars emit from their tailpipes, making it safer than today's cars which emit carbon monoxide that can kill (why we now have carbon monoxide alarms in addition to smoke alarms in our homes).
Leave a Reply