The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has published a national roadmap to support the uptake of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and allocated AU$2.4 million (£11.79 million) to boost on-street EV charging in Australia.
The announcements earlier this month show a maturing EV market in Australia after years of stagnation. ARENA, a government entity established to spearhead the country’s energy transition, released the National Roadmap for Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging in partnership with RACE for 2030 and delivered by enX Consulting.
ARENA’s roadmap aims to establish a foundation for key industry and government stakeholders to identify and adopt policy settings and strategic initiatives that will realise the benefits of bidirectional EV charging for Australians.
Much like in the UK, V2G is increasingly under the spotlight as a means to provide flexible energy storage while also facilitating the decarbonisation of Australia’s transportation sector. This coupling of the sectors could also impact the public’s understanding of the electricity system and aid the energy transition by granting educational benefits.
ARENA recognises the technology’s potential, having said in its report that bidirectional charging “has the potential to become one of the largest forms of flexible energy storage in Australia”. The organisation also highlighted the technology’s benefits in reducing electricity bills, coinciding with Cornwall Insight’s findings that V2G could reduce UK EV driver electricity costs by around 70%.
Another crucial element of V2G technology is the flexibility and stability it can grant the grid. This is even more important with the gradual withdrawal of coal-fired power plants and the introduction of variable renewable energy generation, such as solar PV and wind.
Unlike the UK, whose last coal-fired power plant, the 2GW Ratcliffe-On-Soar station in Nottinghamshire, was switched off in September 2024, making it the first G7 nation to abandon coal power, Australia is still reliant on coal. Although the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has predicted that 2038 will be the full withdrawal date for coal power stations, Cornwall Insight exclusively told our sister site PV Tech that it could operate beyond this and well into the 2050s.
The shift away from coal-fired power leaves a gulf in capacity for when coal is fully withdrawn in Australia. With variable wind and solar PV generation, there is a substantial need to increase energy storage capacity to support Australia’s energy transition and maintain a stable and reliant grid.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller believes the battery capacity of Australia’s EV fleet is projected to outstrip all other forms of energy storage in the NEM, a market that covers Australia’s eastern and south-eastern coasts, including Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
“With estimates suggesting 1.5 million EVs on Australian roads by 2030, even 10% of those adopting V2G could meet 37% of the NEM’s total storage needs while also giving Australians control over their contribution to the clean energy transition,” Miller added.
“This innovation isn’t just beneficial for the grid – it could save Australians up to AU$5 billion in total by reducing the need for large-scale battery storage investments.”
Our other publication, Energy-Storage.news, recently spoke with Charlie Walker, CEO and co-founder and Marc Sheldon, chief operating officer at RedEarth, a battery storage company based in Queensland, about V2G and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) in Australia, in an article available to the site’s Premium subscribers.
Multi-million dollar boost to Australia’s kerbside EV charging capabilities
Alongside the publication of the V2G national roadmap, ARENA has also allocated AU$2.4 million in funding to EV charging company EVX Australia (EVX) to deliver 250 public kerbside EV chargers across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
As regularly discussed on Current± News over the years, kerbside charging is critical to supporting the uptake of EVs by presenting opportunities for EV drivers without access to driveways to access charging facilities. This also plays into a just transition, a core pillar of the global green energy movement.
The EV chargers use AC power with smart charging capabilities, ensuring minimal impact on the local electricity grid. They are installed on existing utility pole infrastructure, eliminating the need for construction work and allowing for a faster rollout.
ARENA claims that EVX’s Australian-designed and made pole-mounted EV chargers were developed from the ground up to meet the technological limitations that utility providers and local governments face in rolling out EV charging infrastructure sustainably while adhering to local electrical and planning regulations. The funding is being delivered by the Driving the Nation Program.
“Not all EV owners can charge their vehicle at home or work, which is why we’re excited to partner with EVX on this rollout that utilises kerbside charging poles, providing a great opportunity to pair with EV charging. While sales of EVs are increasing, the expansion of public charging is vital in catering for future demand right across Australia,” Miller said.
