Australia paves way for vehicle-to-grid charging by the end of the year
Minister Chris Bowen has announced a new standard allowing electric vehicles (EVs) to power homes and feed energy back into the grid at weekend event.
Standards Australia has approved vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging, new measures that Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said will enable consumers to "charge when you want to charge and you can discharge back to your house or to the grid when that suits you.” With the technical standard now in place, manufacturers and charging providers can start registering compatible V2G products with the Clean Energy Council to make this technology available to Australians by the end of the year.
At the Sydney International EV Show on Saturday, Bowen also outlined the broader consumer-focused approach the government is taking to energy management. This is backed by the recently developed Consumer Energy Roadmap, agreed upon in collaboration with state and territory energy ministers.
The roadmap, which places EVs at the forefront, aims to empower consumers – now often referred to as "prosumers" – to produce, consume, and share energy as they choose. By connecting EV batteries to the grid, households could soon leverage their vehicles as a backup energy source or sell surplus power.
"Vehicle-to-grid charging is now ticked, enabled under the law of the land and will become a reality before Christmas," Bowen affirmed. The technology is expected to improve energy flexibility, allowing EV owners to decide when to charge and discharge their vehicle batteries based on energy prices and household needs.
He noted Australia’s adoption of New Vehicle Efficiency Standards, set to take effect on January 1, which will reduce fuel consumption for light vehicles such as passenger cars and light commercial trucks.
For consumers, the V2G charging capability is expected to create new ways to reduce energy bills and increase energy resilience. Bowen urged manufacturers and infrastructure providers to accelerate their V2G product registration to take full advantage of the new standard.
