Kia EV5 to bring vehicle-to-grid charging capability
All-new Korean mid-size electric SUV will power your homeThe 2024 Kia EV5 is shaping up to be one of the first mainstream EVs to be able to power your house using the commonly used CCS combo charging plug.
Joining the EV9 large electric SUV, which hits Australian dealerships soon, the all-new EV5 mid-size SUV – which is due in Australia in 2024 and expected to be priced from around $60,000 – will be one of the first EVs globally to boast vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality utilising what is effectively the default charging plug in Australia.
“The EV5 is a very important model for Kia,” said Spencer Cho, Kia’s head of global business planning sub-division.
“It is not just the next addition from electric standing EV line-up but a hugely strategic product that will add much needed momentum to the mass popularisation of EVs.”
Until now V2G has only been available with the Japanese-centric CHAdeMO charging plug; the Nissan LEAF is the only battery-electric vehicle that offers V2G in Australia (it’s also available with the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid).
But Kia has confirmed the EV5 – Australian versions of which will be sourced from a new factory in China – will debut V2G in certain markets.
It’s not yet known if Australia will be one of those markets.
“This function will be available mainly in countries with infrastructure that supports V2G,” said Cho.
One of the challenges in Australia is activating V2G from a regulatory standpoint.
As well as a box that enables the V2G functionality – something that currently costs about $10,000 – the technology is still awaiting regulatory approval in most parts of the country.
Until that approval is granted – something that relies on different governments and electricity network operators around the country – there’s little incentive to make Australia one of the markets that gets the technology.
That said, it should at least be easy to activate if the demand is there.
The EV5 is due in Australia sometime in 2024.
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