Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV Now Powering a Posh Vacation Cabin You Can Rent

• Hyundai uses the vehicle-to-load capability of the Ioniq 5 to power a pop-up hotel in Essex, UK.
• The luxury cabin features a cinema and a restaurant with a bar, all powered by the crossover’s battery.
• V2L technology promises to make camping easier in the future, without requiring a bidirectional charger that vehicle-to-home (V2H) capabilities require.

You’ve heard of electric vehicles’ batteries taking on charging duties beyond just making the EV move. That’s the premise behind Hotel Hyundai—an off-grid pop-up hotel where a Hyundai Ioniq 5 brings the power for all the electrical devices in a luxury cabin via its vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature.

The hotel is located in Essex, England, about an hour from central London, and features a guest suite, a restaurant with a bar, and even a cinema.

V2L differs from V2H, or vehicle-to-home, in that it does not require a bidirectional charger to operate, making this concept far less reliant on special hardware. In fact, all it needs is an adapter from the car.

The idea for the pop-up hotel was sparked by Hyundai’s own research that showed 46 percent of respondents say that the environment and sustainability are more important to them than they were five years ago when choosing hotels, with 25 percent also indicating that they are choosing staycations instead of flying overseas in order to reduce their own carbon footprints.

“Two fifths (40 percent) say they are also looking for cheaper travel options this year and over half (55 percent) admit this decision is due to the current cost of living crisis,” the automaker noted. “As a result, over half (53 percent) say they would like to invest their holiday spend in local U.K. economies rather than abroad.”

The luxury cabin, built by Colemans Farm, relies on V2L to power everything inside, down to the espresso machine in the small bar and the projector in the cinema. The Ioniq 5 supplies AC power (230V/50Hz) up to a maximum of 3.6 kW (15 amps).

The hotel will be open for 14 nights from October 19 through November 5.

“Our award winning Ioniq 5 is able to power Hotel Hyundai using its V2L feature, where an adapter from the car provides a socket which domestic appliances can be plugged into,” said Ashley Andrew, managing director of Hyundai Motor UK. “The whole experience demonstrates the practicality of this pioneering technology, and we hope the concept inspires more people to go off grid.”

V2L technology received a timely introduction stateside when owners of the Ford F-150 Lightning were able to power essential appliances in their homes during prolonged power outages. But outside of emergencies, V2L technology in cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 promises to redefine the camping or glamping experience, with Hyundai’s pop-up hotel being an apt demonstration of sustainable vacation stays.