1 week ago
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Households will soon be able to be powered by their electric car – or sell power from their electric vehicle back into the grid during peak demand – thanks to new standards from the Federal Government.
Australians will soon be able to use their electric cars to not only power their homes, but also send energy back into the electric grid during peak periods.
Drive understands Chris Bowen, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, will today announce new standards for Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) at the Sydney International EV AutoShow.
The new standards are expected to apply to hardware – such as inverters and bi-directional chargers – which enable homes to safely connect to V2G- and V2H-capable electric vehicles.
This will allow families to either sell electricity stored in the batteries of their cars back into the grid during peak periods – when the system is under strain, particularly on very hot days – with the assumption the vehicle will either be recharged by solar power or from the grid during off-peak times.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images.
It also allows households to be directly powered by their electric vehicle during blackouts, with the battery able to keep a home running for between three and seven days on average – depending on usage and the size of the car's battery.
While the announcement has come from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, it's believed both the Clean Energy Council and major electricity companies – known as Distribution and Network Service Providers – will sign off on the new standards.
Drive understands the new standards will be in place so Australian households can take advantage of the technology by the end of the year.
Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.
