BYD Electric Car Becomes Lifeline in Australian Blackout

LWD , 6 months ago (edited 5 months ago)

deleted_by_author

makingStuffForFun , 6 months ago

This company I’ve never heard of is appearing everywhere in social media. Obviously they’re spending big to get attention with advertorials and then social media links to said content.

otl , 6 months ago

BYD employ about 570,000 people and by some measures are the largest carmaker in the world. I’d never heard of them either until a couple years ago. They’ve definitely got the cash to put into PR like this. Past couple years Australia started importing their electric cars. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Company

makingStuffForFun , 6 months ago

Wow. There ya go. Talk about little old me living in my bubble

Nollij , 6 months ago

Because vehicle to load (V2L) is a popular selling point of EVs. While the article isn’t clear, it sounds like this is what they already had installed and used.

V2L is not the same as those inverters. The inverters can only provide enough power for a few outlets (~3,000 Watts or so, depending) and for a relatively brief time (looks like most are 600-1500 Wh, meaning 1 hour of a single US 120v outlet at capacity). They must be purchased separately (which can be a problem once the need first arises, since they are not a common preventative option), and then manually connected all the way from car to device.

V2L, however, is very different. It is purchased and configured when the vehicle charging circuit is installed. It connects directly to the mains line, meaning that the feature simply needs to be turned on. Devices you want to power are still plugged into the wall. This feature can often supply 50 amps @ 240v, or 12,000 Watts.

Then there’s the issue of capacity. The battery used to start an ICE isn’t even playing the same sport as an EV battery. The high end noted above is 1,500 Wh (1.5 kWh). The Tesla model 3 has one that’s 50,000 Wh (50 kWh), while the F150 lightning has 98,000 Wh (98 kWh) and an option for 131,000 Wh (131 kWh). While an ICE can act as a generator, I’m not even going to try to get an estimate on capacity. Way too many variables involved.

As for why the article focused on that brand/model, I think it’s more about tugging at the heart strings. It’s less about the brand and more about putting a face on why the feature was helpful/important. But I agree that it was written in a way that focused way too heavily on the brand and feels like an ad.