Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)
Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is an umbrella term for EV energy-transfer use cases in which a vehicle can deliver stored electrical energy to an external load, property, another vehicle, or the power system.
The energy-transfer branches
The final letter identifies where the energy goes:
- Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) supplies appliances or equipment from a vehicle outlet or adapter.
- Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) integrates the vehicle with a home electrical system for backup or energy management.
- Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) supplies or supports the loads of a commercial, institutional, or multi-unit building.
- Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) transfers energy from one vehicle to another through compatible equipment.
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) exchanges energy with the public electricity system under the applicable interconnection and market rules.
These branches share the idea of exported energy, but they are not interchangeable product capabilities. A vehicle with a V2L outlet may not support bidirectional DC charging. A home-backup installation may prevent export to the grid. V2G can require approved equipment, metering, a utility or aggregator program, and local permission.
The supported result depends on the complete system: vehicle hardware and software, EVSE or inverter, communication, electrical installation, protection, controls, and operating rules. A claim that a vehicle is "V2X-ready" should therefore be checked against the exact branch, compatible equipment, power limit, connector, market, and software version.
Important terminology boundary
In charging and energy discussions, V2X refers to these power-transfer uses. In connected and automated driving, V2X communication means vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, vehicle-to-network, and related data exchange. That communication meaning does not imply that the traction battery can export useful electrical power.
V2X energy transfer is also different from smart one-way charging. Smart charging can shift or reduce demand while power continues to flow only into the battery.
For the underlying charging architecture, standards, protection, and verification questions, see Bidirectional Charging.