Electric cars are finally ready to operate as batteries on wheels in Australia after a successful trial by a team of electricity, technology, research and vehicle firms.
While the technology will only be available for one electric ute initially, the companies behind the launch plan to expand tests to more manufacturers.
Electricity distributor Essential Energy announced the long-anticipated arrival of vehicle-to-grid technology at the Smart Energy Conference in Sydney on Wednesday in partnership with the CSIRO, Sigenergy and AUSEV.
The launch comes six months after the federal government outlined standards for the technology, allowing bi-directional chargers to be approved for use in homes by the Clean Energy Council.
Vehicle-to-grid technology (V2G) works by connecting an electric car to a charger that can manage the flow of electricity, either using it to recharge the vehicle's battery or feeding it from the car back into the electricity network.
In this way, electric vehicles can power a home's lights during a blackout or support the national grid during periods of high demand.
Several companies and universities have tested V2G technology in Australia, including the Australian National University in Canberra which found 16 of its trial vehicles were able to feed power into the grid during a blackout.
Essential Energy also tested the technology in its Innovation Hub in Port Macquarie in partnership with the CSIRO, chief operating officer Luke Jenner said, and found the newly approved charger from Sigenergy worked with its network.
"We have been trialling V2G on our network since 2023 with a customer using his Nissan Leaf," Mr Jenner said.
"Recent tests have confirmed that (Sigenergy's) bi-directional charger and the AUSEV Ford F-150 Lightning work effectively on our network."
As a result, the firm will allow Ford F-150 Lightning electric utes, remodelled for Australia by AUSEV, to be connected to its network in NSW and parts of southern Queensland.
The change will provide another way to reduce energy costs in households, AUSEV chief executive officer Edward Kocwa said.
"Not only will customers be able to use the F-150 Lightning as a work ute, (this) will now essentially turn the vehicle into a mobile battery pack," he said.
"It has a very large battery, meaning it can power homes and small buildings for an extended period during power outages."
While V2G compatibility will only extend to the converted electric utes initially, which start at $169,900, Essential Energy and CSIRO are in talks to expand trials to other vehicle models.
A study for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, conducted by Energeia, found electric vehicle owners could earn money by using V2G technology, making as much as $12,000 a year for providing power to the electricity grid.
