I have a 2022 Model Y long range dual motor which I'm very happy with. I have a 12kW solar system part of which charges our 2 BEVs. With electricity prices going up and net metering being attacked state by state, the need for vehicle to home/battery charging (bidirectional) is important. Being grid-free may be a wise choice in the near future. Why isn't Tesla (Elon) vigorously pursuing this? Is he trying to sell his power banks over giving consumers their choices? Why buy battery backups, which are expensive, when I have 2 BEVs with plenty of backup capability in my garage! Get on with it Elon!
There is a great need for vehicle to home charging now for new and older Teslas
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Rdscholar21
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December 2025 CATL says its going to mass produce.
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No, we're not going to be seeing sodium batteries. Sodium batteries are worse than LFP. They're heavier, less energy dense, and more expensive.
Naxtra Battery Breakthrough & Dual-Power Architecture: CATL Pioneers the Multi-Power Era
On April 21, 2025, CATL unveiled three groundbreaking EV battery products at its inaugural Super Tech Day: The Freevoy Dual-Power Battery, Naxtra - the world's first mass produced sodium-ion battery, and the second-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery, as well as an integrated 24V...
www.catl.com
"CATL's Naxtra passenger EV Battery achieves an energy density of 175Wh/kg, the highest among sodium-ion batteries worldwide,"
CATL presents EV battery with 1,000 km range
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) has shown its latest lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery at an auto show in Beijing. The Chinese company says it has an energy density of 205 Wh per kg, almost 8% higher than the current state of the art for such batteries.
www.pv-magazine.com
"...(CATL) has shown its latest lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery ... has an energy density of 205 Wh per kg, almost 8% higher than the current state of the art for such batteries."
How do sodium ion batteries compare to LFP? | Benchmark Source
Demand for both lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and sodium ion batteries is forecast to surge as the battery market seeks lower cost options and cells more suited for energy storage systems (ESS). LFP cells have a higher volumetric and gravimetric energy density than sodium ion cells, as well as an...
For Sodium, I was thinking everyone can get a massive pack for their homes. Weight is not an issue. Take 3 to 6KWh on a trip. No problem. 60KWh for your home might be affordable. Might even make a electric assist camper feasible. Since aero that matters more than the weight, electric assist campers may be a thing. If they go into mass production I see many wonderful things portable power can be used for.
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I don't see any benefit of Sodium compared to LFP for that purpose.
Price. Sodium according to what Ive read will be massively cheaper
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LFP cells are currently exceptionally low cost at around $60/ kWh, according to Benchmark Lithium ion Battery Price Assessment.
However, Benchmark expects lithium prices to rise towards the end of the decade. The extent to which this will increase the cost of LFP cells is less clear, however it could make sodium ion batteries more cost competitive in the future.
From:
source.benchmarkminerals.com
However, Benchmark expects lithium prices to rise towards the end of the decade. The extent to which this will increase the cost of LFP cells is less clear, however it could make sodium ion batteries more cost competitive in the future.
From:
How do sodium ion batteries compare to LFP? | Benchmark Source
Demand for both lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and sodium ion batteries is forecast to surge as the battery market seeks lower cost options and cells more suited for energy storage systems (ESS). LFP cells have a higher volumetric and gravimetric energy density than sodium ion cells, as well as an...
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Meanwhile, back on topic:
V2L (Load) is, for me, a very nice convenience but in no way an earth-shattering requirement for living. We have it on both our Hyundai EVs, it works, works well, and is easy using Hyundai’s extra-cost adapter to provide about 1.8kW. We’ve been fortunate in that home power outages are both infrequent and usually short…less than a few hours. If worse, I’d have installed a whole-house backup generator as I’ve done in other homes in other parts of the country. So far, I’ve used our V2L feature to run our fridge and freezer for about an hour. More often I’ve used it away from the house to run an electric fan, once to operate an corded lawn tool, and some lighting.
Is V2L a compelling necessity? Hardly.
Is V2L a nice-to-have convenience? It is, just like several SUV models have 120v outlets built into them. We’ve used the interior V2L 120v socket in our Ioniq5 to keep my wife’s laptop charged up during road trips. More uses will likely be found.
Did I yearn for V2L from my 2018 Model 3? Not really but did keep thinking about it as a “gee, wouldn’t that be nice to have?”
V2L (Load) is, for me, a very nice convenience but in no way an earth-shattering requirement for living. We have it on both our Hyundai EVs, it works, works well, and is easy using Hyundai’s extra-cost adapter to provide about 1.8kW. We’ve been fortunate in that home power outages are both infrequent and usually short…less than a few hours. If worse, I’d have installed a whole-house backup generator as I’ve done in other homes in other parts of the country. So far, I’ve used our V2L feature to run our fridge and freezer for about an hour. More often I’ve used it away from the house to run an electric fan, once to operate an corded lawn tool, and some lighting.
Is V2L a compelling necessity? Hardly.
Is V2L a nice-to-have convenience? It is, just like several SUV models have 120v outlets built into them. We’ve used the interior V2L 120v socket in our Ioniq5 to keep my wife’s laptop charged up during road trips. More uses will likely be found.
Did I yearn for V2L from my 2018 Model 3? Not really but did keep thinking about it as a “gee, wouldn’t that be nice to have?”
Sodium and Lithium are two of the most common elements on Earth, in that order, so I don’t really see a supply crunch causing Lithium prices to rise. Obtaining it is a matter of countries being willing to do so instead of dumping the environmental cost of mining it on some other less regulated country (aka with fewer people who whine about mining).
However, I think that someday, both will become near equal for battery production, and there will only be a small difference between them in the power-density-weight ratio. That’s not a particularly bad thing, since even though both are pretty common, going from dependency on oil as one thing to dependency on just Lithium isn’t great. Diversifying battery material and power generation fuel sources is a good idea for the future.
The biggest problem to overcome though in that process is Sodium explodes even more energetically than Lithium when exposed to heat and oxygen, and you absolutely can’t extinguish it, because it will explode even more violently in water. It kind of amuses me to see all of the articles about Sodium implying that it’s a safer alternative to Lithium.
Wow that's not what I read but good to know. Shame that.
Sodium's batteries two huge advantages is cost, according to some news sources in the $10 per KWh range and less temperature sensitive.
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I've seen that value as a prediction for the future. But currently it's more expensive than LFP.
How much did your 12kW cost?
I needed a power-backup solution for my home only during the occasional power outages, which are still few and far between, but very annoying. Last outage lasted 13h.
Have three EVs in my garage; two Teslas and a Rivian.
I shall not be without power ever again. What I did is purchase a third-party battery backup solution. It gives me 18.6 kWh of stored power. Fortunately for me, my home electrical service is prewired for a power backup solution by splitting up the electrical service into two circuit breaker panels. One of those panels powers up all the critical loads (bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, furnace, dryer, well pump, and others. No A/C.) That circuit breaker panel also has a manual override to enable backup power via a NEMA L14-30P outlet installed outside the home for a generator. I connect my battery unit to it and voila! My home has power.
The only remaining issue for me was to figure out how to charge my battery at the same time I am using it. Enter my Rivian. What I do is trickle charge my battery solution via the A/C outlet on my Rivian. Rated at 1500 W, it still will be able to charge my battery solution because my home load is typically around 600 W; occasional spikes to 4 kW when the well pump kicks in.
This solution will work for me. I still cannot justify the installation of a solar array and associated batteries because cost of electricity where I live is dirt cheap. As for no A/C. it is always ~70 degrees in my basement. And this temporary and rare use will never have or cause any significant additional degradation whatsoever to my Rivian battery pack. A win-win.
My utility offers its lowest rate if I charge starting at midnight. In high-cost California, that is a help.
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What battery system did you go with? Could you share what the cost was?
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