The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed an additional $13.6 million to support the expansion of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in Australia, significantly increasing the scale of a trial led by Amber Electric.
As part of part of ARENA’s Driving the Nation Program, the funding brings ARENA’s total investment in the project to $16.8 million. This is intended to accelerate the deployment of both V2G and smart electric vehicle (EV) charging technology in Australian homes.
Under the expanded trial, the number of households participating in V2G will increase from 50 to 1000. These households will be able to export electricity stored in their EV batteries back to the grid, turning vehicles into flexible energy assets capable of supporting the wider electricity system.
The project will also expand Amber’s smart charging program from 950 to 2000 households. Participants will be able to automatically charge their EVs during periods of lower electricity prices and lower emissions. In turn, this can reduce charging costs while supporting grid efficiency.
Darren Miller, Chief Executive Officer at ARENA, explained that the project is designed to address several of the barriers currently limiting broader V2G adoption.
“To unlock V2G at scale, we need to bring together customers, car makers, networks and technology providers,” Miller said.
“A big part of that is giving manufacturers the confidence their vehicles will perform as expected, including through validated approaches to battery use and warranties.”
The expanded trial will involve collaboration with global automotive manufacturers, beginning with BYD Energy Storage, to implement charging standards that support bidirectional energy flows between EVs and the grid.
The project will also undertake real-world battery testing and data collection to help address warranty concerns that have slowed V2G deployment in many markets.
According to ARENA, Amber has already demonstrated strong customer interest through its initial smart charging trial, with 25 residential V2G sites completed to-date.
The larger rollout is expected to generate valuable insights into customer behaviour, technology performance and market integration. ARENA shared that the findings will inform future policy development, industry investment and the broader commercialisation of V2G technology across Australia.
For more information, visit the ARENA website.
