During a blackout on the Australian energy grid in February, ACT Government vehicles fed power back into the grid.

Major storms in Melbourne caused the blackout. At the time, there were 16 ACT Government fleet EVs plugged into vehicle-to-grid (V2G) smart chargers across the ACT. Four of them were charging, and 12 were sitting idle.

These 16 EVs received a signal from the grid. They started supplying power back into the grid in seconds. This is potentially the first time in the world that this V2G response has assisted during a power emergency.

V2G technology works using a bi-directional charger. The energy from an EV battery can send electricity back into the grid, just like rooftop solar. In this case, the emergency response lasted a few minutes before the grid stabilised. The cars began charging again as normal with minimal disruption.

These results show that V2G can:

• contribute to the security of our electricity grid
• reduce emissions from transport.

“V2G represents a huge opportunity for Australia,” Ross De Rango, Head of Energy and Infrastructure at Electric Vehicle Council, said.

“Over time it will put downward pressure on energy bills for everyone (not just EV drivers) and enable us to close coal and gas fired power stations sooner.

“We'll be able to meet significant amounts of energy system peak demand from our cars, rather than from burning fossil fuels, and then recharge them later on from excess wind or solar.”

EV uptake is growing in Canberra. V2G can play a pivotal role here and across Australia as we transition our national energy systems away from fossil fuels to 100 per cent renewable energy.

Enabling V2G technology is a commitment in the ACT's first Integrated Energy Plan. For more information on the ACT's pathway to electrification, visit the Everyday Climate Choices website.

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