Can You Charge Your Electric Car During a Power Outage?

It is possible to charge your electric vehicle (EV) during a power outage. But you may not need to; as long as your EV has some charge left, your car can likely go a few days between charges.

How to Charge an EV During an Outage

There are more ways to charge an EV in an outage than there are ways to fuel a gasoline car.

• Solar Fueling - Generate your own electricity by putting solar on your roof. Solar systems tied to the electricity grid need to be turned off to protect the safety of line workers making repairs. But some solar systems can continue sending electricity into your car while disconnecting it from the grid.
• Extra Charging Stations - Some charging stations are powered by solar energy or have battery backup systems, so they may never lose power at all.
• Find Electricity Anywhere - Bring your charging cables with you and find any available electricity source. You don't necessarily need a charging station to charge your electric vehicle. Any available 110-outlet can give you some electricity.
• Battery Backup - Many advanced battery backup systems allow you to program the battery to direct electricity to appliances and devices that need it most. Unless you need to flee, you may need to prioritize household heat or air conditioning
• Microgrids - Microgrids are small grids with stand-alone (or “islanding”) potential. This allows them to provide electricity during regional power outages. Critical services like hospitals and military bases often rely on microgrids, but increasingly, community microgrids provide energy independence to neighborhoods or small communities.

Can Gas Generators Help Charge EVs?

It's not recommended to charge an EV using a gas generator. Generators create uneven sine waves of current, which can damage your EV's battery.

If you have an inverter to stabilize the current, you can use a generator. But otherwise, it's not worth the risk.

Using EVs as Emergency Heating

During power outages, heat loss can be seriously harmful. Some turn to their cars as a temporary heating source, but during a long outage in Texas in February 2021, several people died of carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to sleep in their gas-powered cars.

An electric vehicle produces no emissions at all, so it's safe to sleep in your car anywhere during an outage, even in your garage, as some people did during the Texas freeze.

Some EVs, like Tesla vehicles, come with “camp mode,” which automatically sets the vehicle to a sleep-friendly climate without drawing much energy from the battery—but any electric vehicle can be manually set to do the same.

Another consideration is vehicle-to-home charging. An electric vehicle is itself a large battery backup, and recent innovations in EV technology allow you to supply power to your home in an emergency. Not every EV is capable of vehicle-to-home charging, however.