One Grateful Mom Realized Her EV Could Do A Lot More Than Reduce Pollution

The jury is still out regarding whether electric vehicles will be the permanent solution to gas-powered cars or if there’s another, even better, green energy solution around the corner. But most experts agree that EVs are at least a step in the right direction.

And in the case of the mom of one sick 11-year-old boy in Australia, the environmental benefits took a backseat to another important feature of her family’s EV.

In the midst of the storm

When inclement weather wiped out much of her community’s electricity on Christmas Day, Kristy Holmes was faced with a much more dire emergency than other neighbors trying to navigate a power outage.

Her son, who is currently on a kidney transplant list, relies on dialysis to survive. And without electricity, the life-saving treatment was impossible.

That’s when she remembered the “vehicle to load” function on her EV, which allows electricity stored in its batteries to power other devices.
As neighbors used their own vehicles to keep the lights on, watch TV, or preserve the food in their refrigerators, Holmes relied on her BYD car to power the dialysis machine.

More than sufficient power

Without the ability to plug in the device to the vehicle, Holmes said that she would have needed to transport her son to a facility an hour or so away — in the midst of a major storm — to get little Levi the treatment he needed.

The experience, she said, was enough to convince her that owning an EV is clearly a smart decision for her family.

“It’s the most amazing car I’ve ever owned,” she concluded. “Now it’s been able to save my son during a storm, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a petrol car again.”

Chris Agee January 1st, 2024

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