Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y can now power your house in a blackout

Powershare is Tesla's name for bidirectional charging. Normally power flows one way: from the wall into the car. Bidirectional means it can also flow back out, from the car's battery into something else.

Tesla uses the name for a few different things:

• Home Backup: the car feeds your house through its wiring during an outage. This is the new part for Model 3 and Model Y.
• Vehicle-to-load (V2L): you plug devices straight into the car with Tesla's Outlet Adapter.
• Grid Support: the car sends energy to the power grid when demand is high. That one stays Cybertruck-only.

Think of a Powerwall as a water tank on your roof and the car as a tanker truck parked in the driveway. The tank handles the daily stuff. The truck keeps it topped up when the pipes from the street run dry.

The setup is simple on paper. You plug the car into a Wall Connector or Universal Wall Connector at a home that has a Powerwall 3, Electrek reports. When the grid goes down, the car's battery pack extends the backup the Powerwall already provides.

According to Tesla's updated Powershare page, homes with a Powerwall 3 and a Wall Connector need no additional equipment. Not a Tesla App notes that Powerwall owners don't need the separate Powershare Gateway that standalone Cybertruck setups use. Electrek adds one step: you have to contact Tesla support to get the feature turned on.

Inside the car, you can set limits on how much of the battery Powershare is allowed to drain, Not a Tesla App reports. That matters, because you probably still want enough range to drive somewhere once the storm passes.

In real life If a winter storm knocks out power on your street, your Powerwall 3 starts running the house as usual. With a new Model Y plugged into the Wall Connector, the car tops it up, so the fridge, the furnace fan and the Wi-Fi keep going for days instead of hours.

Tesla's numbers assume an average US home using 30 kWh a day and a car charged to 90%:

By the numbers: the new cars can push up to 11.52 kW continuously at 240 volts, Not a Tesla App reports, the same as the Cybertruck's Powershare. That's enough to run big household loads, not just a lamp and a phone charger. The outlet notes a 185A motor start rating and UL1741 CRD certification.

For scale, a Powerwall 3 holds 13.5 kWh of usable energy. Not a Tesla App estimates a Model 3 or Model Y stores roughly five to six times as much. The Cybertruck's 123 kWh pack is why it lasts longer.

Your own mileage will vary. A small apartment-sized load stretches further. A house running central air in August burns through it faster.

This is the part to read twice. Tesla only guarantees Powershare Home Backup on Model 3 and Model Y cars ordered on October 1, 2026 or later, in the US and Puerto Rico.

For older cars, Tesla says "some, but not all" have the capability. It comes down to one part: an inverter Tesla calls PCS2 Lite, which handles the bidirectional power. Electrek notes Tesla hasn't said when that part went into production for each trim.

Checking takes ten seconds:

• Step 1: on the touchscreen, open Controls, then Software.
• Step 2: tap Additional Vehicle Information.
• Step 3: look for "Powershare Support." If it says enabled, your car has the hardware.

Drive Tesla points out that October 1 isn't a hard line. Some cars built shortly before then are compatible too.

Electrek lists the current limits:

• Powerwall 3 only: Powerwall 2 and Powerwall+ support is "coming soon," with no date.
• No Powerwall, no backup: the Model 3 and Model Y can't use the Powershare Gateway that lets a Cybertruck back up a home on its own.
• No selling power back: Tesla says Grid Support is "not available for Model 3 or Model Y."
• No Model S or Model X: the bigger sedan and SUV aren't part of this rollout.
• US and Puerto Rico only: Tesla's Canadian site still lists Powershare as a Cybertruck feature, Electrek reports. Drive Tesla notes Canadian buyers haven't gotten the V2L expansion either.

What's next: Not a Tesla App expects Powerwall 2 and Powerwall+ support in the US to arrive first, followed by other markets. Tesla recently added V2L to Model 3 and Model Y cars built at its Shanghai factory, which the outlet says could put them next in line.

Tesla also expanded vehicle-to-load across the US Model 3 and Model Y lineup, Drive Tesla reports. Before this, US V2L was limited to Model Y Premium trims, which got a 2.4 kW Outlet Adapter in August, according to Electrek.

The Outlet Adapter gives you up to 2.4 kW at 120 volts and 20 amps. That covers camping gear, power tools, a coffee maker or an e-scooter that needs a top-up. It won't back up a whole house, which is what Powershare Home Backup is for.

Not a Tesla App points out that base Model 3 and Model Y cars didn't support V2L at all before. New orders go straight from no bidirectional power to full home backup.

Bidirectional charging has been a long road for Tesla:

• March 2023: at Tesla's Investor Day, Drew Baglino, then Tesla's SVP of powertrain and energy engineering, said bidirectional charging could come "within the next two years," according to Electrek.
• Late 2023: Powershare launches with the Cybertruck, Electrek reports.
• August 2026: the Model Y Premium gets the 2.4 kW Outlet Adapter.
• September 2026: the Cybertruck's Powershare starts working together with a Powerwall 3, after the 2026.27.10 software update, Electrek reported.
• October 6, 2026: Model 3 and Model Y get Home Backup with a Powerwall 3.

At that same 2023 event, Elon Musk said, "I don't think very many people are going to want to use bidirectional charging, unless you have a Powerwall," Electrek reports. The version shipping today follows that thinking: the car works as an add-on to a home battery.

Tesla isn't the first carmaker here, and the feature has been spreading across the industry:

• Ford: launched home backup on the F-150 Lightning in 2022, with 9.6 kW of output, according to Electrek.
• GM: promised in 2023 to bring vehicle-to-home to every Ultium-based EV by model year 2026. GM Energy's list now includes the Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Silverado EV, the 2027 Bolt, GMC's Sierra EV and Hummer EV, and five Cadillacs, Electrek reports.
• Kia: offers it on the EV9 through a Wallbox bidirectional charger.
• Nissan: the Leaf offered power-to-grid charging years ago, The Verge notes.

The big picture: with Tesla's best-sellers joining in, home backup from a car is moving from a pickup-truck perk to something ordinary families can order. If you're curious how many of these cars are on the road, our story on Tesla's third-quarter deliveries has the latest numbers.

• Shopping for a Model 3 or Model Y: any car ordered from October 1 in the US is guaranteed to support Powershare. That's worth knowing if your area gets outages.
• Already own one: check Software, then Additional Vehicle Information, for "Powershare Support" before planning anything.
• Have a Powerwall 3 and Wall Connector: you shouldn't need new hardware, but you'll need to ask Tesla support to switch it on.
• Have a Powerwall 2 or Powerwall+: wait for Tesla's "coming soon" update. There's no date yet.