AltWhat can V2L actually run?
The honest answer depends on two numbers your vehicle has and most people never check: continuous output and surge headroom.
Continuous vs surge
Every appliance has two power figures. Continuous is what it draws while running. Surge is the spike when a motor or compressor starts, often three to eight times the running figure for a fraction of a second. A fridge that runs at 150W may pull 1,200W for the half-second its compressor kicks in.
V2L systems are rated for continuous output. If a startup surge exceeds what the inverter can deliver, it faults and shuts off — even though the running load was well within budget. This is why "it's only a 150W fridge" people still get tripped systems.
What each output tier handles
1.9 kW — most Hyundai/Kia in the US
The US-market Hyundai and Kia V2L output is limited to about 1.9 kW, lower than the same cars get elsewhere. That runs a fridge, lights, a laptop, phone charging, a modem, a CPAP — the essentials of riding out an outage. It will not run a window AC and a microwave at once, and a large resistive heater will eat most of the budget alone.
3.6 kW — Ioniq/Kia in other markets, some others
Meaningfully more headroom. A fridge plus a microwave plus lights, or a modest space heater with room to spare. Still not central air or an electric range.
9.6 kW — Ford F-150 Lightning (Pro Power Onboard, higher trims)
A different category. The Lightning's Pro Power Onboard reaches up to 9.6 kW across multiple 120V and 240V outlets on the higher-trim system — enough for serious power tools, a jobsite, or a small event. Note the trim dependency: the base system is only 2.4 kW. Two trucks with the same name, four times the output apart.
~11 kW peak — Tesla Cybertruck
The Cybertruck's bed outlets handle high peak power and include a 240V outlet, putting it in the same serious-tool territory as the Lightning.
A rough appliance budget
| Device | Running | Surge |
|---|---|---|
| LED lights (whole house) | 60–150W | — |
| Phone / laptop charging | 50–200W | — |
| Wifi / modem | 20–60W | — |
| Refrigerator | 100–250W | 800–1,500W |
| Chest freezer | 100–200W | 800–1,200W |
| Furnace blower (gas heat) | 300–800W | 1,500–2,500W |
| CPAP | 30–90W | — |
| Microwave | 1,000–1,500W | — |
| Window AC (10k BTU) | 900–1,200W | 2,000–3,500W |
| Space heater | 1,500W | — |
| Well pump (1/2 hp) | 1,000W | 2,000–4,000W |
| Electric range element | 1,500–3,000W | — |
The surge column is why a 1.9 kW system can struggle to start a fridge and a furnace at the same moment even though their combined running draw is under 1 kW. Stagger startups where you can.
The outage priority list
With a modest V2L budget, power in this order: fridge and freezer first (food is the expensive loss), then heat — the fan of a gas furnace, not electric heat — then lights, then communications. Leave the big resistive and AC loads off unless you have a 9.6 kW system. A gas furnace's blower is a few hundred watts; electric heat is not V2L territory on most vehicles.
How long will it last?
This is V2L's quiet advantage. A 77 kWh battery running a 400W essential load (fridge, furnace fan, lights, phones) lasts on the order of a week before you'd need to recharge — and you can drive it to a charger and back. Most vehicles let you set a floor, so you never discharge below the level you need to reach help. Set that floor before the storm, not during it.
Which vehicles, and how much each puts out → · V2L vs a generator →