It was no surprise on Friday morning that the federal government’s funding boost to what was already the country’s biggest vehicle-to-grid pilot scheme should feature a BYD Atto 3.
That is the only electric car that has been made available by car makers for the pilot scheme, which with a five fold increase in funding to $16.8 million will be able to supercharge the number of “batteries on wheels” to around 1,000, from just 25 on the road now and another couple of dozen still to be fitted out.
The path to V2G in Australia has had to overcome a number of obstacles, and is still climbing over them. They include agreeing on and setting the right standards, approving cables, inverter and charging systems, getting the networks on board with connections and the retailers with interesting tariffs.
But it seems the biggest hurdle is yet to be solved – how to get the EV makers across the line and to extend their battery warranty to cars that are not just charging from the grid, but sending power back to the grid and even helping out with essential grid services.
A lot of EV makers describe their electric cars as “V2G ready”, but it’s hard to find any that have put that in their warranties. BHP has, at least for the Atto 3, but only for the purpose of this trial.
It is befuddling to some who argue that bidirectional charging would put no more stress on a car battery than someone with a lead foot, in fact almost certainly a lot less.
Darren Miller, the CEO of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, which is providing the funding boost for the pilot which is being run through innovative renewable energy retailer Amber, says the aim is to expand the number of models from 1 to 4 in the expanding scheme.
His team would not disclose which models they have in mind, for fear of breaking confidences.
“V2G could be a game-changer for the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and the electricity grid,” Miller says, adding that Arena’s vision is to have 5 GW of available capacity from V2G cars by 2035, or 2.5 times the capacity of Snowy 2.0.
“Many people are waiting for this capability to be mainstream before committing to their first EV, and their batteries can play a double role supporting the electricity needs of the home and providing valuable grid services which could save participating households thousands of dollars off their electricity bills.
That is almost certainly true. You would think that vehicle to load (V2L) – or even the greater running cost savings – might be motivation enough for many to make the switch, but it seems many are fixated on the idea of bi-directional and batteries on wheels.
“We’ve got over 100 models of EVs in Australia, and we need a future where every one of those vehicles has the right standards, the vehicle to grid technology unlocked, that they have got confidence that the warranty will stand up to the use in the home, and all of us, as we look to purchase EVs in the future, will gain access to that technology,”Miller said.
Federal energy and climate minister Chris Bowen made the point on Friday that consumers will eventually force the issue. Already, 6,000 people had joined the waitlist for the Amber trial, with just 45 spots available before the funding boost announced last week.
“We’ve got work to do with the car manufacturers on warranty, we’ve got work to do to make sure that Australians who want vehicle grid charging have that capacity,”Bowen said on Friday. “It’s a big change to get the car manufacturers to provide the warranty support necessary, as I said, for the regulators and operators to be able to build it in the system.
‘There are car manufacturers, car manufacturers who are more forward leaning and helpful, like BYD. There are others who will take longer, but I think ultimately Giles consumers and community will demand this.
“You know, if you’re deciding what EV to buy, and you’ve got one that will allow you to do vehicle to good or smart charging, and another won’t, well, that’ll impact your decision as consumer.”
See The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
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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.