Mom uses electric car to power son's dialysis machine during power cut
- A series of storms impacted South East Queensland from 24-26 December
- The following power cut could have been life threatening for a young boy on renal dialysis
- However, his quick-thinking mom used her smarts – and her electric car – to save the day
Published on Jan 22, 2024 at 3:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 24, 2024 at 1:24 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
An Australian woman has proven the benefits of an electric car go beyond environmental and financial – they can also save lives when the power goes out.
Kristy Holmes from Queensland, on the Gold Coast of Australia, used her electric car to power her son’s dialysis machine during a blackout in December.
And her story has revealed the remarkable possibilities of the modern technology of electric cars in emergency situations.
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The family’s home lost power after storms and flash flooding on Christmas Day 2023.
In a remarkable feat of ingenuity, the 42-year-old mom powered her 11-year-old son’s dialysis machine with her electric car.
Without skipping a beat, the quick-thinking and resourceful mom hooked the live-saving machinery to her BYD Atto 3.

The Chinese brand is a fierce competitor for Tesla that is currently outselling Elon Musk’s brand, but isn’t currently available in the US.
The “vehicle to load” feature of the electric car uses the car’s battery to charge household appliances.
Making a life-and-death realisation, she was able to utilize this, using power from her electric car battery to run her son’s dialysis machine.
The capabilities of the electric car were a lifeline for preteen, Leiv, who’s about to go on the transport list.


Had her electric car not had those capabilities, her son would have had to be transported to Brisbane amid the power cut.
“We ran it off the car – we only needed to use it for the one night,” Holmes told the Guardian.
“We could have run it for at least four nights and then have to go charge the car somewhere.”
It’s worth noting that an increasing number of electric car manufacturers are claiming vehicles can act as a domestic power supply.

Plus, new charging roads cropping up globally means finding a place to power up is becoming increasingly simple.
EV owners can charge devices such as laptops, TVs, and refrigerators, as well as power coffee machines and other appliances.
“It’s the most amazing car I’ve ever owned. 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,” Holmes enthused.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”