Power stations on wheels! Zero-emission cars can power our homes too

If you’re in the mood for a relaxing getaway with a difference, a unique pop-up hotel is coming to life starting this weekend – powered entirely by electric cars.

Korean auto giant Hyundai believes it has created the world’s first car-powered hotel.

It uses a trio of its Ioniq 5 SUVs to power rooms and other facilities at a purpose-built glamping-style site in the Essex countryside.

Charge ahead

Admittedly, it’s a gimmick designed to show that not only do electric cars need to draw power from the national grid, but their batteries can also be a smart form of storage that can feed power back into the grid or home appliances.

This car is equipped with a so-called ‘vehicle to device’ function — also known as ‘vehicle to grid’ and ‘vehicle to home’ — which uses bidirectional or two-way charging.

Bi-directional chargers also allow users to store low-cost off-peak or solar-powered electricity in a car battery and then feed it back into the grid or directly into a home during the hours when electricity is most at a premium.

The Ioniq 5 can also assist with power kits and caravans for wilderness camping trips. You insert one end of a special adapter into a slot in the grille. On the other side is a conventional socket where you plug in a household plug.

The bi-directional power of the car’s EV generator means it becomes your mobile power station from which you can run external electrical devices.

Hyundai is not alone in this. Its Korean brother Kia now has two cars with this capability: the Niro EV and EV6 models.

Nissan can do it with its Leaf, just like Volvo with its upcoming EX90 and Ford with its electric F150 Lightning pickup truck.

Hy-de-Hy: The Hyundai hotel uses a trio of its Ioniq 5 SUVs to power rooms and other facilities at a purpose-built glamping-style site in rural Essex

Keep lights on

The knock-on effect of the war in Ukraine has led energy suppliers to warn of possible energy rationing this winter — with a grid of local zones across the country cutting off their electricity for about three hours a day.

But if you own an electric car that can double as your own power plant, don’t worry.

Obviously you can’t charge it with the power off. But provided you’ve done this before and there’s still plenty of charge left in the vehicle’s battery, you can use it to power your freezer to keep contents from spoiling, use the microwave, or turn on standard lights.

Tech and lifestyle magazine Wired recently noted, “In March 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami, causing many power outages.

“Car makers Nissan and Mitsubishi sent dozens of electric cars to the hardest hit areas to drive rescuers and supplies, keep appliances and phones charged and provide heating.”

Six more mobile batteries

Hyundai Ioniq 5: Powering the pop-up Hyundai Hotel in Essex and priced from £41,011

Kia Niro EV and EV6: The all-electric Niro EV range starts from £36,757, the EV6 from £45,195

Nissan Leaf: Priced from £28,995 and one of the first cars with two-way charging – and it was used as an emergency power source in the Fukushima nuclear crisis

Honda e: Honda is supplying 50 to Swiss car-sharing company Mobility to test the car’s bi-directional charging, to return energy to the grid when not in use. Priced from £36,920

Volkswagen: VW’s new electric ID.5 (from £50,625) and Buzz camper (£57,115) have bi-directional charging, but not yet the software download to activate it

Volvo EX90: This electric SUV, to be unveiled next month, is the first Volvo equipped with two-way charging – for connecting outdoor equipment, charging an electric bicycle or your home

Cause a buzz

Set in fields in Essex, just an hour from central London, the pop-up Hyundai Hotel includes a luxury cabin, restaurant and cinema.

Everything in the cabin, created by Colemans Farm (colemans-farm.co.uk), holiday rental specialists, is powered by an Ioniq 5 and its battery technology – from the lights and charging points to the kettle and shower.

The same goes for the adjacent cocktail bar, the restaurant with a three-course meal menu and a coffee lounge.

And to round off an evening of entertainment, guests are invited to enjoy a movie from a car-powered projector and speakers. Associated snacks are provided by a popcorn machine that gets its power from the same spot.

The company said: ‘Hotel Hyundai has everything you would expect from a luxury holiday in the countryside, just with the twist that all power is provided by electric vehicles for a truly unique off-grid experience.’

The original inspiration for the electric-car-powered hotel was not the threat of power outages, but the opportunity to show how the technology can be used to live ‘off-grid’ at a time when the cost of living crisis is rife. residences caused a boom in the UK.

A Hyundai-commissioned survey of 2,000 vacationers found that more than half (55 percent) of people said the cost of living has prompted them to rethink their future vacation plans.

But ironically, it’s the prospect of power outages that shows exactly what a blessing they could be in the future.

• Hotel Hyundai is open for 14 nights from October 19 to November 5.

The public has a chance to win a stay in the unique hotel. Visit kiphideaways.com/hideaways/hotel-hyundai

Meet the world’s fastest driver

The fastest man in the world will be reunited with his record-breaking car this Saturday – as he prepares to beat him in a new vehicle.

Former RAF fighter pilot Andy Green will be at the Coventry Transport Museum (transport-museum.com) for a 25th anniversary of his World Land Speed ​​Record at ThrustSSC in Nevada, when it became the first supersonic car in 1997.

Rocketman: Former RAF pilot Andy Green will be in attendance at the Coventry Transport Museum to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his World Land Speed ​​Record at ThrustSSC

A quarter of a century later, that supersonic record of 763.035 miles per hour (Mach 1.016) still stands.

Green would break his own record in the Bloodhound LSR before it was shut down due to the pandemic.

Now the team behind it is seeking £10 million to fund an attempt at a zero-carbon land speed record.

Green said: ‘Bloodhound had a great opportunity to do something very important. It still does.’

Both Thrust SSC and Bloodhound are housed in the Coventry Transport Museum, which hosts lectures, tours and more on the day.