The majority of EVs spend around 23 hours of the day stationary.
What if we could use this time for temporary stationary storage? What if the energy stored in your vehicle battery could be returned to the power grid at times of increased energy demand? What if you could supply your home entirely with your own solar power?
This is the vision behind high-tech Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) developments; a vision which we at EVSE Australia strive towards implementing.
Bi-directional charging is exactly what it sounds like. With a little help from new technologies, we can either push electricity to the EV battery or electricity can be taken from the car battery and pushed back to the grid. For this technology to become mainstream, however, the following is required.
To this point, V2G is implemented through the DC line (CHAdeMO), which required the use of an expensive external bi-directional charger.
Using the AC network as opposed to the DC has many advantages with the biggest being cost and availability. Having an on-board charger/inverter drawn to V2G, adaptation and cost on the infrastructure side are minimal. Our alternating-current technology has the particularity of placing the reversible charger inside vehicles, so it just requires a simple, inexpensive adaptation of the existing charging terminals. This is currently the stage that ongoing development is focusing on.
The grid is powered by renewables with the energy supply higher than demand, charging the vehicle.
V2G technology is in the collection of excess generated power.
When the energy production is lower than the demand, vehicle charging stops
V2G technology now means the plugged-in EVs give energy back to the grid.
This is the concept of bi-directional charging.
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) is the technology that allows a battery electric vehicle to do something a conventional car never could: send electricity back to the grid, or to a building, when the grid needs it and the vehicle doesn’t.
In a V2G-enabled system, your EV becomes a mobile battery, charging when electricity is cheap and plentiful, discharging back to the grid or your building when prices are high or demand is critical. For commercial operators with large EV fleets, V2G has the potential to generate meaningful revenue from grid services and reduce net energy costs. For residential owners with solar, it creates a seamless renewable energy loop.
The technology is real, the compatible vehicles exist, and early deployments are operating in Australia. What remains limited is the regulatory framework that determines how grid export is compensated, but that framework is developing faster than most people tracking the technology expect.
Standard EV charging is a one-way flow: electricity moves from the grid into the vehicle’s battery. Bidirectional charging, which is what V2G requires, reverses or alternates that flow, using an inverter built into either the charger or the vehicle to convert the DC stored in the battery back to AC for export.
V2G specifically refers to export back to the electricity grid, the vehicle participates in grid services, responding to price signals or AEMO dispatch instructions to export energy during high-demand periods. A related but distinct application is V2B (Vehicle-to-Building), where the vehicle exports to the building’s electrical system rather than the public grid, reducing demand from the grid at peak tariff periods. V2B is technically simpler and commercially available now; V2G is following.
| Nissan Leaf (e+) | V2G compatible via CHAdeMO, the original V2G-capable vehicle. Requires a CHAdeMO bidirectional charger. |
| Nissan Ariya | V2G capability available in some markets; Australian V2G availability to be confirmed. |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | V2H (Vehicle-to-Home) capable. Not full V2G, but can power home or building loads. |
| BYD Atto 3, Seal, Han | V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) is standard; V2G and V2B capability is in development. |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5 / 6 | V2L is standard on the 800V platform. V2G trials are underway internationally. |
| Kia EV6 / EV9 | V2L capable. V2G is in development for select markets. |
| Tesla (all models) | Bidirectional capability confirmed; V2G deployment timeline for Australia is yet to be confirmed. |
| Ford F-150 Lightning / E-Transit | V2H capable in the US; Australian availability varies by model. |
A standard EV charger cannot support V2G. A bidirectional charger, sometimes called a smart charger or V2G-capable EVSE unit, includes an inverter that can manage power flow in both directions. In Australia, bidirectional hardware compatible with V2G operation is available from a small number of suppliers, and the product range is expanding rapidly as the market develops.
Exporting to the grid from a V2G system requires a grid export connection agreement with your DNSP. The process varies by state and network operator but generally involves a technical assessment of the proposed export capacity and, for larger systems, a formal connection application. Residential V2G export at low power levels (below 5kW) is moving toward a simpler notification process in most jurisdictions; commercial V2G at higher power levels requires formal approval.
For V2G to operate intelligently, charging when prices are low, exporting when prices are high, participating in grid services, an energy management system (EMS) is required to receive price signals, manage dispatch decisions, and optimise the overall energy position of the vehicle and building. EVSE's V2G-capable installations include EMS configuration as part of the commissioning process.
For commercial fleet operators with large numbers of battery electric vehicles, V2G represents a revenue opportunity that is qualitatively different from anything available to a fleet of diesel vehicles. A fleet of 50 EVs with a combined battery capacity of 30MWh, all connected at the depot overnight, represents a significant dispatchable energy resource. If those vehicles can export to the grid during evening peak demand periods, they can generate grid services revenue that partially offsets the fleet’s energy costs.
The regulatory framework for commercial V2G in Australia is developing through AEMO’s demand response and virtual power plant programs. EVSE is tracking these developments and can advise commercial fleet operators on how to position their infrastructure to participate in these programs as they become available.
EVSE installs bidirectional charging systems for residential and commercial applications across Australia. If you have a V2G-compatible vehicle or are planning a fleet deployment with V2G in mind, contact us to discuss what’s available for your site.
What does this include?
Customer is contacted within 24 hours of enquiry by EVSE to book installation.
Install your EV Charger using our low fixed price installation package. Backed by our quality guarantee.
Up to 15 metre run from the electricity meter & home EV charger.
Industry leading 3-year replacement warranty.
EVSE believes in a green sustainable future by delivering the latest EV Charging technology at the lowest price. All our work is certified and guaranteed with the backing of global brands.
Our team of experts can provide specialist EVSE advice and are available to answer any of your questions over the phone
"*" indicates required fields
Tell us about your car and home to see recommendations.
Stocking the best Electric Car products from the World’s leading brands.
All of our EVSE products are compliant with Australian & International standards.
If you find one of our products cheaper with any other Australian retailer, we promise to beat it by 5%. Just make a note of the price and where you have found it, and then give us a call on the following number:
