EVs weathered the storm: How electric vehicles are helping during extreme weather events

Each Summer, hurricanes in Florida emerge like clockwork, reminding residents to stock up on essentials, trim back precarious tree limbs, and dust off our storm shutters.

It’s a ritual steeped in preparation and resilience as we brace for nature’s unpredictable fury. With the urgency of these recurring threats, we need to maximize all resources available to support residents through these events. For Florida, that means embracing new technologies, like electric vehicles (EVs), which can be crucial assets during and after storms.

During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, EVs provided vital power and refuge, proving that their benefits far outweigh potential issues. With backup power capabilities and the ability to maintain climate control during outages, EVs are invaluable resources for Floridians facing extreme weather. While implementing and communicating EV safety measures is essential, these vehicles are increasingly recognized as smart solutions for disaster recovery, making it crucial for Florida to adapt its strategies to meet future challenges.

After Helene hit, Chris Wilson shared how his electric truck is “literally saving my life.” Wilson suffers from acute sleep apnea, which poses a serious risk to his health if he can’t use his CPAP machine. When his power went out, Chris connected an extension cord to his electric truck, leveraging its bidirectional charging capability. This feature allowed his electric vehicle to supply power, ensuring that his breathing machine remained operational during the outage.

“Without this truck, we would have been in a situation where we were searching for somewhere out of state like an emergency shelter or something of that nature,” Wilson explained. “Trying to sleep without electricity would have been life-threatening for me.”

In Western North Carolina, Larry Schooner endured a prolonged power outage from Hurricane Helene. For 16 days, his Ford F-150 Lightning served as his family’s primary source of food preservation, preparation, and communication. “This truck effortlessly powered a refrigerator, freezer, dehumidifier, air fryer, instant pot, coffee maker, TV, power tools, cell phones and laptops,” he explained. “Our lives would be drastically different without.” This illustrates how EVs can effectively support daily life when traditional power sources fail.

EV owners across Florida have witnessed firsthand the numerous benefits of EVs, particularly in navigating the challenges posed by limited fuel supplies and overcrowded gas stations during emergencies. As experienced during Hurricane Milton, more than 1,300 gas stations across the state were dry five days after the storm made landfall, creating significant stress for residents reliant on traditional fuel sources. In the Tampa metro area, nearly half (49.9%) of the 1,801 gas stations were still without fuel as of Monday afternoon, six days post-landfall.

In contrast, EVs emerged as a dependable alternative, unfazed by the chaos of empty gas stations and maddeningly long lines at the pumps. As Dan DeLisi of West Palm Beach shared, “While others scrambled for gas, I charged my EVs at home. My EV provided me with a smarter, safer, and more sustainable solution. Scarce fuel supplies and long lines were not further burdened by those of us with EVs.” With ranges comparable to traditional gasoline vehicles, many modern EVs can travel over 200 miles on a single charge and recharge fully in just 30 minutes using a Level 3 DC Fast Charger.

Beyond homes and individual needs, EVs have also proven indispensable for small businesses and critical services during storms. Dr. Erica Lacher’s veterinary clinic in Gainesville also exemplifies the life-saving potential of EVs during emergencies. When Hurricane Helene hit, her F-150 Lightning provided essential power to keep her clinic operational, running critical devices like fans and surgical equipment.

“Because we’re a vet clinic, we have to be available for emergencies,” she said. “Most of the time, the generator just sits there and does nothing, so it makes so much sense to take that money and instead put it into an EV that does a whole lot of things.” The ability of EVs to deliver power directly to appliances — known as vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging — has become a game changer for many in the community.

As we enter a new era of transportation, adapting EV safety protocols and clearly communicating them is essential. Just as officials urge caution around diesel generators each hurricane season, EV safety is an important part of this evolving discussion. While it’s wise to take precautions with electric vehicles during storm surges, this should not overshadow their many advantages during extreme weather. EVs can power life-saving devices and provide mobility during such events, making them essential assets for residents of the Sunshine State.

___

Ali DySard is a Senior Policy and Program Specialist with the Environmental Defense Fund, leading efforts to promote medium- and heavy-duty EV fleet adoption, expand charging infrastructure, and secure funding through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. She shapes EV infrastructure and transportation policies, playing a pivotal role in public and private sector initiatives and state and federal policy development.