Australia’s first public vehicle-to-grid (V2G) electric vehicle (EV) charger is expected to be up and running in South Australia as soon as next month thanks to local start-up V2Grid Australia.
Founded this month by electricians Matthew Downie and James Murray, V2Grid Australia is planning to launch the country’s first public V2G EV charger at a South Australian CBD site next month.
Speaking to Zecar, a V2Grid Australia spokesperson said that the trial site will allow EV drivers to earn real-time payments based on the live market electricity rate to discharge some of the car’s electricity back into the grid.
V2Grid Australia, which claims ownership to a new technology that “reduces peak load stress on electrical systems and empowers EV owners to financially benefit from the electrification transition”, aims to address larger economic and environmental problems through the use of their smart charging technology.
“This technology not only powers EVs but also serves as backup storage for the electrical grid, addressing a looming environmental and economic issue,” said Matthew Downie.
“Whether it’s to provide electricity to support a household in a blackout, an EV owner looking to give back to the grid for financial return or simply to lessen the impact of the rising cost of living, this technology has the power to do it all.
“Our CBD site, which will go live from late September, is almost as easy as tap and go – it’s a park, plug-in and get paid model that has never been seen before.”
Little else is known at the moment as V2Grid Australia focus on the launch of the company, but the company told Zecar that a “global car manufacturer has developed a one-off specialist electric vehicle for V2Grid Australia to rigorously test their smart charger so that it can be made saleable.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
Sounds like you might go to a show (in Adelaide) and for it when you collect your car from the V2Grid station to pay for the entertainment. Then you drive home to recharge for the next night out.
What kind of connector is this based on?
Aside from an absolute emergency , what is the use case case for V2G ? I struggle to understand. I dont think anyone would pay me a better than the price i charged on, even if they did , is it gonna be good enough for me to do it on a regular basis ? Also in case of a power outage , I wont wanna lose my cars power if I dont know when the powers going to be back on.
Have a look at Amber energy. They charge according to real time wholesale electricity costs. So in SA you can usually charge from grid at around 8c per kWh between 10am-3pm – or 0c marginal cost from your excess solar. Then you can sell at 20-25c during peak. During a price spike if weather is cold/hot and renewables aren’t generating you’ll often be able to sell at $1.00 to $12.00 per kWh.
For me, as someone who doesn’t drive a lot, it’s exactly the thing that justifies purchase of an EV.
It’s a lot of publicity for a concept with little information.
Economically hard to imagine the return would even pay for the rental of a carspot in the CBD.
Why would anyone unnecessarily cycle their battery and probably void your car warranty to compete with electricity generators and home solar. Most people go to work during the day when the GRID is awash with excess supply. Considering around 75% of “EVs” are not BEV and could never use or need this system my advice to this group in Adelaide….?
Don’t give up your day job.
Well Champion, imagine they had this near shop’s , restaurants, cinemas or parking at the footy.
This works if you charge your car overnight at a cheap rate or with solar through the day.
Imagine parking for a few hours and then coming back with $5-$10 dollars in your pocket.
It’s also obviously for future models which support reverse charging.
You understand this but prefer to be a knob.
A Tesla Model Y has about 1500 charging cycles and a range around 450km per cycle. I drive about 150km per week or 18 cycles per year, I think I can afford to lose a couple to V2G.
Each vehicle manufacturer will have their own take on it I’m sure, but when Nissan have been questioned about it they say they’re not at all concerned about it affecting battery performance and therefore warranty. As others have suggested – the amount of cycling is so low compared to what the cars are designed for.
This venture is definitely pushing on the “too early” side of things, and I agree there’s some interesting dynamics between typical use of CBD parking and grid conditions. But one way or another, there’s value and money to be made in making sure those batteries on wheels are plugged in during the solar peak. I’m glad someone’s starting to experiment with business models.
The value could be in ancillary services rather than energy. It is an interesting concept but will need to have a lot of chargers to create value. It would also need to be part of a VPP to be marketable.
Another one Bowen’s WET dreams since Green Hydrogen technology was DUMPED as a looser by Twiggy Forrest 😡😡
It would obviously make more sense if I could do this (easily) at home.
If my car is at home, sell (or consume within my own house) power from my car, when grid power is expensive.
Later, when grid power is cheap again, fill my car back up.
Great progess.
Will they be introducing V2G in homes? How about V2H as well or will we wait for the Service Providers to monetize it first?