HWBRIEF
Tesla's cars now do the power conversion that usually requires a $6,500 wall box, adding two to three days of backup during an outage.
Tesla is extending vehicle-to-home backup from the Cybertruck to the Model 3 and Model Y, the company announced Tuesday. The feature lets a parked EV feed its battery into a home during an outage, adding two to three days of backup on top of any stationary home battery.
The cost story comes down to where the AC-to-DC conversion happens. Other automakers ship DC bidirectional chargers, standalone wall boxes priced $6,500 to $10,000+ that handle the conversion outside the car. Tesla's AC path does that conversion inside the car, then pushes current through a standard $595 Wall Connector.
The Model 3 and Model Y path still requires a Powerwall 3 at the home, which retails around $8,200 plus several thousand dollars of installation. Cybertruck owners get the only no-Powerwall route: a $1,990 V2H hardware package plus $1,800–$2,200 install.
Colby Hastings, who leads Tesla Energy's residential business, framed the choice as deliberate. "We've been very focused on what we think is the more long-term scalable pathway," he said. "That's what led us to this architecture."
PG&E is already interconnecting Tesla systems for vehicle-to-grid pilots and calls Tesla "the lead product to market," though regulators in only California and Maryland have set rules for AC bidirectional charging outside pilots. Other automakers have offered DC bidirectional charging for years, and Electrek noted Tesla's "latecomer" position when the expansion shipped.