Breakdowns: He keeps his food cold… thanks to his electric car

A Gatineau man keeps his food cold for more than 24 hours after losing power to his electric car, which he uses as a generator.

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“It’s odorless, pollution-free and noise-free,” exults Guy Bonhomme, who lives in Gatineau’s Aylmer sector.

“A lot of my neighbors have gas generators and it’s deafening, disturbing,” adds the 41-year-old.

A 2017 Chevrolet Bolt owner purchased an inverter that he could plug into his vehicle’s battery. Inverters work in electric and gas-powered cars and provide power to other electrical devices.

“This is my backup plan,” he explained. On Wednesday afternoon, the electricity supply to his house stopped.

Guy Bonhomme claims he has access to 1500 watts with an inverter. A “limited” amount, but he only uses a small portion to power his fridge and freezer.

Both of his devices have been plugged in since Thursday afternoon, except last night, he said, when he stopped the process.

His electric car, which had about 50% charge, is now at 30%. He also made a few trips during the day, he said.

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“When you have a car it’s usually a rule to recharge it before a storm hits,” he says with a laugh, because he doesn’t respect that. As long as his car doesn’t fall beyond 15% autonomy, he intends to continue powering his two home appliances.

He wants to regain power by then. “There is a fast charging station that works less than 10 minutes from my house,” he says.