The new 2026 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid is coming to dealers this year, but we’re already learning about a sweet feature that buyers folks in Japan will be able to enjoy … and those of us in the United States won’t.
Toyota calls it “HV power supply mode.” The function was revealed just yesterday in a press release detailing the Japanese market RAV4 PHEV. Those familiar with tech like Ford’s Pro Power Onboard or GM’s V2H can guess exactly where this is going: this new RAV4 PHEV will be able to supply electricity to your home in the case of a power outage.
Toyota
As of today, the car is set up to be used as a 100-volt power supply outlet. That’s the standard in Japan, which is (of course) lower than the 120-volt standard we use in the U.S. It can send up to 1.5 kW of power to a home, a level that admittedly lags behind the powerful V2H systems in some EVs and hybrids. Toyota doesn’t provide a spec for how long the car will keep juice flowing to a home at the maximum power, but if you’re consistently using 400 watts, it will last about 6.5 days. Should you switch to “power supply time priority mode,” Toyota claims another half day to get you to a full week. Those time figures are assuming both a full battery charge and a full tank of gas from the start.
Road & Track asked Toyota if it intends to make this feature available to folks who buy the RAV4 PHEV in the U.S. When we drove the car last fall, there was no mention of it. A spokesperson pointed out that the new all-electric 2027 Highlander will ship with the feature, but the 2026 RAV4 PHEV will not. As per usual, the company did not comment on if it will arrive in a future model year.
As we’ve learned with other vehicles capable of vehicle-to-home charging, it’s not as simple as just having this feature on the car to keep the lights on in your house. A home integration kit is typically necessary, which would still be the case if the RAV4 PHEV added this feature in. Considering that Toyota is bringing the function here in an EV, however, it’s no stretch to hope we see it in future PHEVs, too.
Zac Palmer
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A Michigan-born car nut and racing enthusiast, Zac Palmer is talking about or thinking about cars somewhere. He bought his first when he was still 15, a 2001 Acura Integra GS-R that still resides in the garage today. It’s now joined by a 2004 Porsche Boxster S, and there will be even less practical additions to follow. Palmer worked at both Autoweek and Autoblog before joining R&T.
AloJapan.com