At a glance  

AGL, Australia’s largest electricity provider, has announced a new residential vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial that will allow eligible participants across the nation to use their electric vehicles as a power source and transfer energy back to the grid. But only those with a V2G-compatible vehicle from one of four manufacturers – BYD, Hyundai, Kia or Zeekr – are welcome to take part. And, there’s only 100 spots.

The key takeaways

• Limited to BYD, Hyundai, Kia and Zeekr owners
• Discounted bi-directional EV charger installation for first 50 participants
• The other 50 will have to arrange their own bi-directional charging hardware
• Trial to begin in 2026 across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and SA
• AGL ensures EV battery warranty won’t be impacted by trial participation

The full picture 

It’s not the first time Australia has been a testbed for V2G technology which is currently only supported in parts of South Australia (via SA Power Networks) and in New South Wales (Ausgrid and Essential Energy customers) – previous trials have been run in the ACT and Queensland.

Now, AGL’s “landmark” trial will kick off on January 1 and be rolled out across all major national electricity market (NEM) distribution network service providers (DNSPs) in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia.

The aim is to “unlock the full potential” of EV batteries as a flexible energy storage asset, according to AGL, with the firm’s head of innovation and strategy, Renae Gasmier, saying owners need to think about their EV as more than just a car.

“The typical electric car battery can store enough energy to power the average home for around three days,” Gasmier said.