Motability is partnering with a new project to see how electric cars could help deliver power to disabled and medically dependent households during power cuts.
The Power Wheels project is backed by energy regulator Ofgem, and is now operating in the North East.
The aim is to explore how an EV could temporarily act as a backup power source during a power outage. Crucially, this could help keep essential medical equipment running without mains electricity.
Motability Operations – the company that runs the Motability Scheme – has already been working with disabled customers to find out how electric car energy services could be used safely and reliably.
The new project is an interesting further development in the potential for electric cars to act as mobile power stations.
Many new models already offer ‘vehicle-to-load’ charging, or V2L. Via an adapter, devices with a three-pin plug can be powered by an EV – allowing them to act as an emergency backup during power outages.
The new initiative will investigate how this could be extended to make electric cars even more useful for medically dependent households.
Initial findings have already been used to provide straightforward information on the safe use of power from an EV. Guidance has also been created to help disabled drivers better understand when an electric car needs charging.
“As the UK moves to electric vehicles, it’s vital that this transition supports disabled people’s freedom and independence, and that new technologies are designed around real lives and needs,” said Motability Operations chief executive, Andrew Miller.
The new initiative “gives us the opportunity to work closely with customers and partners to explore how EVs could offer more than mobility [and] support their medical resilience, helping people feel safer and more confident when disruption happens.”
Motability says the next stage will see it collaborate with 30 Scheme customers to explore how the technology could work for people with varying disabilities and conditions.
This feedback will then be used to design systems for future testing.
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