AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Federal energy and climate minister Chris Bowen says that agreement on new standards means that EV owners will be able to use vehicle to grid (V2G) technology – effectively using their cars as batteries on wheels – by the end of the year.
In a speech to an EV conference in Sydney on Saturday that Standards Australia has ticked off the new standard that will allow vehicle to grid charging in Australia.
“If you’ve got a car with V2G capability and a bidirectional device, you could be using that car to power your house before the end of this year,” Bowen said.
He said car companies can immediately start having their bidirectional devices tested to the revised standard, then apply to the Clean Energy Council to have their devices assessed and listed.
Once listed, distribution networks can then confirm that they can be plugged into their local grids.
“It means when you pick your next EV you won’t be buying just a car, you’ll be buying a household battery on wheels,” Bowen said.
V2G technology is hailed by many experts as a critical part of a future grid dominated by renewables, simply because of the extraordinary resource that will exist in the battery packs of millions of EVs around the country, providing both bulk energy when needed and critical grid services.
However, the opportunities have been limited. Only two vehicles – the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid have had the capability, thanks to their Chademo plug protocols – but most new EVs have not, because they are on a different protocol, CCS2.
Those challenges are now being overcome, and a series of trials across the country has helped satisfy the grid operators and the network owners that the technology can be safely deployed without adverse impacts on the grid. It is not clear, however, exactly how many EV makers will support that technology.
“It’s not going to happen overnight for everyone,” Bowen said. “Not every manufacturer is at the same place, but it’s now going to be enabled in our system. So, it’s a really, really important step forward.”
It points to the radical change in the way the electricity grid is managed. Once top down with only centralised generation sources, the grid is now becoming increasingly dominated by consumer energy resources – rooftop solar, household batteries, electric vehicles and other smart appliances.
“It’s about ensuring grid stability, and it’s about ensuring maximum use of every single electron– ensuring consumers get maximum value from their assets.
It will mean being able to export as much of their rooftop solar as they want to. Being able to control when you draw from the grid, or when you rely on the energy you’re producing yourself. Turning consumers into prosumers
“And for households with electric vehicles, it’s about making sure our grids, and our rules are set up so you can use those electric vehicles like household batteries on wheels.
“For the vast majority of people, the battery in your electric vehicle, when you get one, is going to be much more powerful than a battery in your home. Most car batteries can store up to five times more energy than household batteries.
So you could be charging your car off your solar panels during the day, and then if you don’t need the car much the next day, you can choose to reverse charge your house with the energy from your car battery at night, when the solar panels aren’t producing.
See also: Australian trucking giants to roll out another 54 electric trucks with new grants
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.
Tom explores what the government's V2G standards mean in theory and how it can apply…
Why can’t you plug your car in and power your house? Soon, you will be…
Global EV sales are heading for a record year in 2024, despite the headlines saying…
French company completes assembly line for its electric hybrid aircraft it says can cut emissions…
Zeekr launches its 009 ultra-luxury people mover with pricing and specs as a new era…
Australian plug-and-play EV control system provider Veepower has won a major innovation award for its…
View Comments
Yep, CHAdeMO got rolled by the usual bastard alliances (which clearly must be US led). Now we all need to wait and buy new EVs, new chargers etc to finally be able to access V2G. How surprising. Japan’s CHAdeMO was streets ahead but they killed it (just like Edison vs Tesla, Betmax vs VCR, the whole original music CD spec).
It was a stuff-up IMHO rather than a conspiracy. Story goes that Japan was all in for electrification but it came to a screaming halt after Fukushima and resulting limits on Japan's electricity supply. They went down the hydrogen rabbit hole instead - big mistake.
BTW CHAdeMO lives on ChaoJi, the standard in China, the world's largest EV market.
Hydrogen is a massive market in Japan. The Vehicle market for hydrogen is only in its test phase and might never emerges. However that's nothing to do with V2G as this is more an add on to the car design. In fact it was in the original E car design for a long time but gov legislation in all the individual countries a legin behind and also a fear to protect local power supply business.
Yes
Plenty of other examples where the superior tech gets trampled by the dinosaurs.
Who’d want to repeatedly charge discharge a LEAF anyway? Perhaps With the aftermarket addition of liquid cooling, But otherwise, I won’t be using my leaf Anyway.
40 kWh Leaf. 5 years old. 55,000 km. Regularly being used for V2H. LeafSpy says the SoH dropped from 98% to 93% after 1 year and 20,000 km, and down to 90% now. According to Nissan the SoH is still 94% (read out with their Consult-III Plus software). Never checked range because it's never been a limiting factor.
This is getting close to an industrial transformation for energy. We need to find the details.
This year there have been several test / trials of specific vehicle and electronic bi-directional grid connection.
You can Google "as4777.1 free download" and there is info as at end August this year. I assume not fully approved standard from Standards NZ/AU.
Also AS4777.2 soon - before Xmas. The revised standards makes it practical for existing EVs with bi-Directional charge and discharge to arrange V2X at home or other sites.
Government has suggested EV manufacturers test their EVs against the new standards. Then as soon as XMAS they will be able to gain compliance tested EVs to be used as batteries.
Big deal for EV future?
So is there are a CCS2 V2G standard yet, and is anyone building cars to use it? if not when?
There's one under development under ISO 15118. It's at the stage that proprietary solutions are being developed that will be able to be upgraded to meet it when it is finalised.
In the meantime there will be approved combinations of cars and chargers. The one I know most about is the Wallbox Quasar 2 which has approved the 77kWh Cupra Born and Kia EV9. I gather it would require very little work to approve similar VW 77kWh MEB cars and other Kia/Hyundai E/GMP cars.
As I read, it seems both CCS2 and Chademo will be available, whether Chademo will be available immediately I have not seen detail. It may be Mega charge for heavy vehicles may also be covered?
I hope that this announcement will soon be followed by the availability of V2G chargers. And at a more reasonable price than they were.
At least six months ago I listened to a podcast interview with an Adelaide uni conducting a V2G trial. They said their bidirectional V2G wall charger originally cost $10k, but had dropped to $5k. There will be further price cuts following soon. We might even have a price war among competing brands aiming for market dominance.
Installation cost?
Probably double then.
Is this the same person who watered down the emissions standards to appease a few noisy lobbyists?
Early adopters will have to order in a big supply of incontinence underwear.
We can already use V2 via our Kia EV9 and a HOEM device, legal and working on NSW Central Coast. Hopefully new rules will be federal and open to everyone. 🏁👍
Again the well-off will have power and the poor will have load shedding
I said years ago ultimately the resistance or the slowness of the transition will come from the left in politics not the right and it’s starting to happen.
"They're coming for your utes!" is the most apposite thing Peter Dutton will ever say. I wonder who wrote it for him?
Really, that would explain people currently buying hybrid BYD ute cheaper than they can a Ford or Toyota.
All hybrids are a victory for the COALition.
What's your point?
Tough emission standards threatened to drag Australia into the 21st century. Weakening those standards was a gutless backdown by a spooked prime minister.
Oh!!!You said that!!! Wow!!!
Tom this is a very uneducated look at this. The well-off always do better but this is a HUGE win for electrical consumers as prices will fall with EV batteries able to balance the grid during peak periods. The well off will pay for it but everyone will benefit.
It's great but some people are poor because they make poor choices. We are in a well off country and opportunities/benifits like this are not appreciated by some or even scorned. Always get the same backward thinking coming up with things like renewables as well. They don't understand that more competition or less peak demand means a better price for every one.
Wow!
"some people are poor because they make poor choices"
Such an ignorant comment.
The mating call of the well off.
Some, not all
Thank you. I appreciate the distinction. However, affluent countries simply have no excuse for allowing any sort of poverty to exist regardless of the circumstances.
Anyone can make a poor decision. Even a billionaire.
Poor man pays twice.
Runs on the board _before_ the election (not just promises).
If I read it right, Ambibox has confirmed Tesla Y and BYD Atto as working with their bi-directional wallboxes in testing. Probably more EVs and more OEMs in the mix now, months later.
I wonder whether there'll be any benefit for low power V2L devices like my BYD T3 van :)
At least I can already keep the fridge going in a blackout :)
Tesla won’t approve of this though. The Ambibox test was independent to prove it was possible
Don’t expect current Teslas to get V2G
Why? Tesla said it could come in 2025 and they would have to respond to the competitive pressure if all their competition offered it
Tesla confirms bidirectional charging coming by 2025, but Musk says it’s ‘inconvenient’
Tesla's take on V2G: Controlling EV charging load is the low hanging fruit to help grid
Personally I do understand the appeal of V2G but I wouldn’t compromise my EV’s long term battery capacity with more charge/discharge cycles. The last thing I want is a noticeable range drop for my model 3.
One day we’ll move to a new battery tech with heaps more charge/discharge cycles, much more range and it won’t be an issue…. Just not now.
You need to read up about your battery... It's already fine. Also you use far more with sentry mode most of the time. I wouldn't worry about this. Don't drive somewhere a couple of times a year...
Some new batteries from CATL are warranted for 1 million miles.
I believe that there is now evidence that slow charging and discharging of a car’s battery, as would happen in V2G, would benefit the longevity of the battery.
charging to 100% frequently would be doing more damage than continual charge and discharge cycles within the 20% - 80% zone for LFP.
That 20 - 80 thing is a nuisance because if you adhere strictly to it then your 500km range becomes 300km, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Not in reality unless you need to drive more than 80% range per day. You can safely charge to 100% when you need to for a long trip, but only do it when you need to and can't get to your destination only charging to 80%. Also, as per my comment above, this is only relevant to NCA and NMC batteries, not LFP.
The 20-80% zone is not relevant to LFP batteries, only to NCA and NMC. LFP need to be charged to 100% every few weeks to calibrate the SoC.
YouTube channel Engineering Explained made a video on charging and degradation for each of the battery types that clearly explain it all:
https://youtu.be/w1zKfIQUQ-s?si=yWWmyNtS7oCW2S0R
https://youtu.be/w4lvDGtfI9U?si=L4TAOaCNA5M-NppP
This stuff is all fascinating but there's a mass of the population who get excluded by this reliance on technologies they have no interest or desire to pursue.
There's always the option of paying for your ignorance. Half the US population have just bought into the notion that tariff protection will make America great again. Social media either educates or numbs the mind, adults make choices.
What an ignorant comment!
My reply to colin addressed the notion that few people are interested in the chemical composition of batteries and you have chosen to ignore that, and, the constant referencing of everything to US politics is becoming extremely tiresome.
This is a brillant outcome for the future independence of Australian households and small business to be totally self sufficient for their power supply. Not been dictated price and suply and more importantly been restricted on how much energy you are allowed to put back on the grid. We installed a Wallbox qasar 1 over two years ago, after 3.5yrs of red tape. This decision will make it much easier for consumers to to obtain approval. Our system in conjunction with a 33kw solar system and a 2019 Nissan Leaf (40kw) we are able to supply power to our resident and small business saving $6000/ year in power bills, and $2500 in fuel bills/ yr. V2G is the Holy Grail of EV ownership. Joseph
We're all thrilled with your success.
No mention of the total cost, rebates, subsidies, roi etc of your setup. How does this apply to mr and mrs suburbia who is interested but has none of your items and wants to start from scratch, renters maybe?
6.6 kw solar panel system for approx $3.5k, A nice Nissan leaf for $15-20k, plus the bi directional charger, what ever that costs. Maybe a renter could ask their Landlord to share cost of solar installation. These systems will eventually filter down to the low income folk, thanks to the efforts of the higher earners.
Hahaha!
"Maybe a renter could ask their Landlord to share cost of solar installation"
Great!
Until the tenant moves out.
Then what?
Is that a rhetorical question? The solar would stay on the house and become the property of the owner. Whether it was worth it for the renter would depend on how long they stayed at the house and how much benefit they derived from it during that time.
Expecting renters to contribute extra money to capital upgrades of a property?
Talk about deluded.
You got me thinking about homeless people camping in their EV's. How on earth are they going to charge their EV with free solar PV?
I'm sorry I got you thinking. It doesn't seem to have worked.
You and your tall poppy BS.
mr and mrs suburbia should probably vote in a way that so they at least try to not cut their nose off in spite of their face.
Then just maybe they will get the support they need so they don't have to start from scratch.
You and your blame the voter BS
Typical anti renter smugness.
Well who is responsible then?
Anti renter? Lol no, I want people to do better than I did.
But its hard to watch people dig themselves a hole and then blame others for putting them there.
Holes freely supplied by greedy miners.
Fill them with the bones of the poor.
One stone