‘Vehicle to Grid’ is the overarching term used to describe the process of exporting electricity from the battery of an EV to a charger that allows for a bidirectional (two-way) flow of electricity while connected to the grid. This is commonly abbreviated to ‘V2G’.

In a true V2G arrangement, electricity could flow from the EV into the electrical circuit within the premises, then if not consumed, flow out to the grid.

In most uses, the electricity will only flow from the EV to the electrical circuits of a building and be fully consumed within the premises. This is referred to as ‘Vehicle to Building’ and abbreviated to ‘V2B’.

In cases where the building is a home, this can be referred to as ‘Vehicle to Home’ and abbreviated to ‘V2H’.

No, only a small proportion of the EVs in Australia have the capability to allow the EV to work with a compliant V2G bidirectional EV charger to export electricity from the vehicle to the grid or building.

Some EV manufacturers, and some countries, have led the way in developing V2G technology. For example, in Japan, there has been a focus on developing the technology to enhance Japanese communities’ resilience to natural and other disasters.

The only new EVs with V2G capability currently available for purchase in Australia are the:

• Nissan Leaf
• Mitsubishi Outlander
• Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

You will need to purchase a bidirectional EV charger that’s compatible with your EV and compliant with Australian Standards and our Queensland connection standards for a grid-connected inverter. This will have an in-built inverter that converts the direct current (DC) electricity stored in your EV’s battery pack into the alternating current (AC) power needed in your home or building.

Note: A bidirectional charger currently costs many times more than a normal EV charger.

The amount you could save is the difference between what it cost to charge your EV and what you would have paid to use electricity from the grid when you’re accessing electricity from your EV. A small amount of energy is lost in the transfer of electricity, which would reduce the savings.

Feed-in tariffs paid by electricity retailers usually only apply to solar PV systems, so you typically won’t be able to earn money from your electricity retailer for exporting from your EV to the grid.

However, some aggregator, Virtual Power Plant, or energy services companies will pay their customers for any power exported to the grid, regardless of how it’s generated or stored. You’ll need to investigate if these offers are available in your area.

Possibly, but not always. Battery life, or ‘state of health’, is linked to how frequently and deeply the battery cycles, or charges and discharges.

You should talk to one or more people who may be able to advise you on this, such as your V2G EV retailer, and do your research too. The GeoTab website provides some useful information on EV battery health.

Firstly, you need to make sure your EV has V2G capability. Other key aspects are:

• Electrical circuit capacity – V2G EVs are capable of exporting electricity into your home at a fairly high rate of power, so your electrical circuits must be able to handle that safely. An appropriately experienced licensed electrical contractor can advise you
• Bidirectional chargers – The chargers becoming available in Australia cost many times more than a normal uni-directional charger and are not a standard inclusion with the purchase of a V2G EV. Therefore, you need to include this additional cost when calculating potential savings made from using less electricity from the grid. Your V2G EV salesperson or an EV charger installer can advise you
• Connecting to the grid – Once bidirectional chargers are available, to connect one to the electricity grid in Queensland, you (or your charger/inverter retailer on your behalf) will need to lodge a connection application with us. If you wish to be paid for the EV battery power you export to the grid, you’ll need an arrangement with your electricity retailer and/or an aggregator. Connecting a bidirectional charger may impact your ongoing eligibility for a feed-in tariff, such as that under the Solar Bonus Scheme
• Impact on your EV battery – A battery system’s life is measured in cycles, or the number of times it can be discharged then recharged. As a general rule, the more an EV’s battery is cycled, the shorter its life will be. Your EV salesperson can advise you, but it is not a simple equation. The GeoTab website provides some useful on EV battery health.

Potentially, and once bidirectional chargers with the ability to operate when electricity is not available from the grid become available in Queensland.

For example, if a cyclone damaged the local electricity network and there was no electricity available from the grid, you could use the power from your V2G EV battery to power your premises, provided the appropriate electrical circuits and equipment had been installed. If the battery were to run low, and if safe to do so, you could drive your V2G EV to an area where there was grid electricity supply, charge it, then drive it back to power your premises.

If this capability is important to you, ensure it is available in any bidirectional charger and EV you consider buying.

Vehicle to Load (V2L) is a function that allows an appliance or extension lead to be plugged into the EV to draw power from its battery. Around 20% of EVs in Queensland have this function.

The three-pin power socket may be in the boot space, the cabin and/or in an adaptor that plugs into the external EV charging socket. This function could power items such as an appliance or light while camping, a laptop computer, or even some plug-in household appliances during a grid outage.

When using V2L, be particularly mindful of electrical safety risks which could be created by contact with water, cords being crushed by other vehicles or in doors or windows, and overloaded powerboards.