In 2024 The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) provided funding for Amber Electric (Amber) to trial battery electric vehicle (BEV) smart charging and provision of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services with residential customers. As part of this project, Amber will enable its customers to automate EV charging and discharging in response to real-time wholesale price signals using its SmartShift™ technology, unlocking additional customer savings. We kicked off the project earlier this year (see previous blog) and since then have been busy getting ready for the trial.
We’ve been blown away by the number of EV owners who’ve put their hands up to join Amber and ARENA’s vehicle-to-grid (V2G) optimisation trial.
Thanks to everyone who signed up, asked questions, and is eager to be part of this new energy frontier.
V2G is one of the most exciting opportunities in the energy world today, allowing your car to not just use electricity, but to provide it back to the grid when it’s needed most, and your home when it isn’t.
But with that excitement comes plenty of questions. Where is the tech actually up to? Which chargers and vehicles are compatible? How do I get involved?
Here’s what we’ve learned so far, and what’s coming next.
First things first, what’s the latest on the waitlist?
If you’ve signed up, you’re on our radar.
If you haven't joined the waitlist, you can do so here.
This isn’t a simple first-come, first-served queue. Invitations will depend on a few key factors:
- Your vehicle and charger compatibility
- Your location (some networks are more flexible than others)
- Trial design requirements (we're aiming for diversity in setups)
We’re still working through the constraints of the trial, so we’re not yet in a position to confirm which customers we’ll be reaching out to. We’ll keep you updated as things progress.
Wait - isn’t there a pilot happening now?
It is, but only in a limited way.
A few Amber customers are currently exporting power from their EVs and earning real returns.
Here’s a case study from June, featuring one of those customers using a DC bidirectional charger and an EV with a CCS2 plug (ie. not a Nissan Leaf!). The customer has a small 6.6kW solar system and no home battery.
Case study - V2G in action in VIC
This chart shows the accumulated net energy bill position ($) for an Amber customer using V2G. The Y axis tracks the accumulated monthly total bill, factoring in household energy use, EV charging costs and earnings from EV discharging.
Early June (3rd–11th)
- The customer incurred gradual costs from charging or household consumption with no significant discharging events. The accumulated cost trended upward into the red.
11 June – High price event #1
- VIC wholesale spot prices spiked sharply, as high as $16.60/kWh, due to cold weather and generator outages (more here).
- The V2G charger responded by discharging the EV battery, supplying the home, and power back to the grid.
- This resulted in a sharp drop in the accumulated cost, flipping the net bill position from positive to negative (into green territory).
12 June – High price event #2
- Spot prices again hit extreme levels, peaking over $15/kWh (more here)
- The EV discharged again, generating significant revenue.
- This day accounts for the largest gain in credits, where the customer earned an additional ~$150–200 in just a few hours.
Mid to late June (13th-25th)
- Daily fluctuations show smaller discharging and charging cycles.
- There were no major wholesale price spikes, so the net bill position moved slowly upwards
26 June – High price event #3
- Another notable drop occurred in the accumulated cost line corresponding to another spike in VIC prices, that exceeded $20/kWh briefly (more here)
- EV discharging resulted in ~$250+ of earnings.
V2G FAQs: What you’ve been asking us
- I have a Nissan Leaf - am I eligible?
The Nissan Leaf is one of the only vehicles on Australian roads that supports V2G today via the CHAdeMO standard. If you’ve got one and are willing to install a V2G-capable charger, you may be eligible in the near future (though charger availability and network approval may be a hurdle).
The Amber V2G trial with ARENA is focussed on using V2G with vehicles using the CCS2 plug standard and so it won’t be focussed on V2G with Nissan Leaf vehicles using Chademo plugs.
- What has to happen for me to get a charger?
Here’s the truth: the technology exists, but the ecosystem isn’t quite ready yet to roll out 50 sites.
The industry is mobilising around Amber’s V2G trial, and other projects, and so we expect to begin installations of V2G chargers this year.
Here’s what needs to happen before we reach out to you about participation.
Charger certification and network connection
Only a handful of V2G chargers are available in Australia, and even fewer have the certification required by networks for grid connection.
The good news? DC chargers with CCS2 plugs (like the Halo from Starcharge) are being tested and ramped up globally, we’re helping to accelerate that here.
Car compatibility and warranties
Many EVs can technically support V2G when paired with a bidirectional charger. But most OEMs don’t yet formally support it, and are still working through how warranties will apply.
We’re in active discussions with manufacturers to understand when and how this capability might be unlocked - which will help shape who we can include in the trial.
If you’re keen to see V2G supported for your EV, it doesn’t hurt to ask your carmaker directly - a little extra interest from drivers can help move things along.
- I want to buy my own V2G capable charger. Which one should I buy?
There are several brands of bidirectional chargers coming to market. As part of Amber’s trial, we will be providing chargers at a discounted price (price to be determined).
As mentioned above, the exact brands of chargers, and combinations of chargers, vehicles and networks, will shape the trial participation.
Right now, we can’t recommend any specific model, because trial participation depends on the exact matching of charger, EV and network setup.
Interested in doing your own research? Here are some brands already in market:
Infypower
Product: V2G DC Charger
StarCharge Halo (V2G)
Product: V2G DC Charger
Sigenergy SigenStor
Product: Integrated bidirectional energy storage + V2G DC charger.
- What other V2G testing has Amber been doing?
No two EV owners are the same, and neither are their charging habits.
Some people drive more, some are home during the day, others only plug in at night. Hardware and equipment setups vary too.
That’s why V2G needs to work flexibly around different routines, preferences, and configurations without adding too much complexity.
At our test sites, we’ve been trialling a range of software interfaces to understand what helps customers manage their EV charging and discharging in a way that feels simple, adaptable, and in their control.
So far, we’ve tested four charging modes:
- Deadline Mode: Make sure your car is ready by a set time, while optimising around forecast prices. Need your car ready by 7am with 80% battery? This mode makes sure it’s charged in time, at the lowest possible cost.
- Self-Consumption Mode: Use excess solar to charge your car, automatically, and don’t interact with the grid.
- SmartShift Mode: Let Amber do the thinking about when to charge or discharge based on an understanding of your household load and forecasted prices and solar production - just like with your home battery.
- Arbitrage Mode: This one’s all about earning. Your EV charges when prices are low, then exports to the grid when prices spike, all while staying within a safe battery range (never go below minimum battery state of charge).
- What’s next?
We’re continuing to work closely with:
- Charger manufacturers – to approve specific certified CCS-based chargers for use in the trial.
- Car manufacturers (Auto OEMs) – to explore exemptions or limited warranty extensions for V2G participation.
- Network operators - to identify locations where V2G sites can be operational with Amber.
Our objective is to install 25-30 chargers before Christmas.
We will start reaching out to participants in the coming months as more details fall into place.
Looking ahead
We’re excited about what V2G can unlock - not just for individual EV owners, but for a future where smarter energy use helps power a more affordable, more reliable grid for everyone. If you’re on the waitlist, we’ll keep you in the loop as things progress. And if you’re just tuning in now, it’s not too late to join the charge. Register your interest here.
Our trial is just the beginning.
It’s already showing how EVs can do more than move us from A to B - they can support households, strengthen the grid, and accelerate the shift to a cleaner energy system.
As Amber Co-CEO Dan Adams puts it:
“If we can automate home batteries and EVs to charge at those cheap renewable times, and discharge at the times the grid needs power, we can meet a very large share of the battery storage requirements for the entire energy transition. Households are really going to be at the centre of the transition, making this happen.”
“Based on the availability of renewables and the demand on the grid, we can get to 100% renewable future much faster and at much lower cost, while unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars of value for consumers."
