Chinese auto giant BYD has agreed to warranty its electric vehicle batteries as part of landmark trial for vehicle-to-grid technology, and other major EV makers may be poised to follow.
It comes as energy retailer Amber reveals that the number of customers seeking to turn their EVs into batteries on wheels has jumped to nearly 4,000.
V2G technology is relatively new but has massive potential because of the size of EV batteries – acting as a form of energy storage on wheels or even a trading asset with the grid.
But one of the major stumbling blocks has been the lack of battery warranty offers from the major car makers.
BYD, which is now challenging Tesla for leadership in the growing Australian EV market, has confirmed it will warrant 50 Amber customer EVs as part of the V2G trial being hosted by Amber, and backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
Amber is one of a number of retailers looking closely at V2G, with AGL and Origin also rolling out their own trials with various suppliers, although BYD seems to be playing a role in each of them.
“EVs are the largest and most flexible battery most households will ever own. With this trial we’re showing what’s possible when you combine Australia’s love of solar with the rise of electric vehicles,” Amber co-CEO and co-founder Dan Adams said in a statement.
“Unlike other V2G trials that lock customers into strict charging hours or minimum plug-in times, our approach incentivises customers to plug in, to power their homes or earn from the grid while giving households full flexibility – they keep the value, and Amber’s automation does the work.
“Unlocking that potential creates real financial wins for customers while supporting the transition to renewables across the energy and transport sectors.”
Co-CEO Chris Thompson says other car makers are also considering warranties. “We do actually have quite a few others who are in pretty serious conversation with us, but nothing we can announce just yet,” he told The Driven.
Amber says early results have shown one NSW household earning $300 overnight using V2G technology and a Victorian household earning $257 in a day.
It says the trial will also show that V2G with Amber does not affect EV battery health beyond normal driving use. Thompson even suggests that it may improve battery health by being lightly cycled. EV experts have said that rapid acceleration will likely put more wear and tear on an EV battery than using it to trade with the grid.
BYD chief product officer Sajid Hasan said it was happy to help EV owners use their vehicle batteries to power their homes and/or harness excess solar and sending it back to the grid, “when the grid needs it.”
Amber plans to rollout a full commercial V2G product in 2026 and says it has nearly 4,000 Australians on its V2G waitlist.
The initial 50 chargers for the trial will be supplied by StarCharge, but Amber will continue to test chargers from all brands available in Australia, and has already done so with SigEnergy, which offers V2G capabilities as part of its now top-selling home battery package.
To join Amber’s V2G waitlist, click here.
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.