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    EV vehicle to grid charger

    Bidirectional EV charging

    Bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment not only charges an EV but also enables electricity to be exported from the battery of an EV to a home, building or the electricity network.

    Owners of a bidirectional-capable EV could use their EV as a ‘battery on wheels’. In different situations they could:

    • Capture their excess solar PV generation to use at night,
    • Charge their EV regularly when their electricity tariff rate is low and draw on that power when the tariff rate is high,
    • Charge somewhere else then bring that stored energy home, or
    • Draw on their EV’s stored energy when there’s a power outage to run their essential appliances.

    Many will do all of these things and more.

    Watch this short demonstration video showing bidirectional charging technology.

    Not all EVs are bidirectional-capable

    There are two main forms of bidirectional charging:

    • Vehicle to Grid (V2G), Vehicle to Building (V2B) and Vehicle to Home (V2H) – Where the power flows from the EV battery via a bidirectional charger to one or more electrical circuits in the home or building, and in some cases, out to the grid. These can be grouped as V2G connections and require a network connection application to us, and
    • Vehicle to Load (V2L) – Where an appliance or extension lead is plugged into a socket on or in the EV, sometimes via an adaptor plugged into the charging port, and do not require a network connection application.

    The following information primarily relates to bidirectional (V2G) charging equipment connections. Electrical contractors will find connection information at Vehicle-to-grid EV connections.

    As of 2025, only a small proportion of EVs in Australia have V2G capability; around 6% in Queensland. However, the proportion will grow and V2G will play an increasing role in creating energy benefits for EV owners, their communities and our networks.

    Applications can be made to connect bidirectional EV supply equipment (bidirectional EVSE) to our network to facilitate V2G. This can be discussed with your bidirectional charging equipment supplier or electrical contractor.

    Further information

    We’ve developed answers to some questions we’re often asked to help you understand more about bidirectional charging andV2G.

    Note: Third party links are provided for information only. No representation or endorsement is made concerning any of these websites.

    ‘Vehicle to Grid’ is the overarching term used to describe the process of exporting electricity from the battery of an EV to a charger that allows for a bidirectional (two-way) flow of electricity while connected to the grid. This is commonly abbreviated to ‘V2G’.

    In a full V2G arrangement, electricity could flow from the EV into the electrical circuit within the premises, then if not consumed, flow out to the grid.

    In most uses, the electricity will only flow from the EV to the electrical circuits of a building and be fully consumed within the premises. This is referred to as ‘Vehicle to Building’ and abbreviated to ‘V2B’.

    In cases where the building is a home, this can be referred to as ‘Vehicle to Home’ and abbreviated to ‘V2H’.

    No, only a small proportion of the EVs in Australia have the capability to allow the EV to work with compliant bidirectional EV supply equipment (EVSE) to export electricity from the vehicle to a building or to the grid.

    In 2025, the only new EVs with stated bidirectional (V2G) capability currently available for purchase in Australia are the:

    • Nissan Leaf
    • Mitsubishi Outlander
    • Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.

    There are two basic types of V2G connections: alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC):

    • In an AC arrangement, the EV – like the Nissan and Mitsubishis referred to above – has an On Board Charger that converts the DC power coming from the EV battery into AC power for use in your home or building. You will also need wall-mounted bidirectional charging equipment
    • In a DC arrangement, the EV doesn’t have an On Board Charger so you will need wall-mounted bidirectional charging equipment that converts DC to AC power.

    You will need to purchase bidirectional (V2G) EV charging equipment that’s compatible with your EV and compliant with Australian Standards and our Queensland connection standards for a grid-connected inverter.

    Note: Bidirectional charging equipment currently costs many times more than normal EV charging equipment.

    The amount you could save is the difference between what it cost to charge your EV and what you would have paid to use electricity from the grid when you’re accessing electricity from your EV. A small amount of energy is lost in the transfer of electricity, which would reduce the savings.

    Feed-in tariffs paid by electricity retailers usually only apply to solar PV systems.

    However, some aggregator, Virtual Power Plant, or energy services companies may pay their customers for any power exported to the grid, regardless of how it’s generated or stored. You’ll need to investigate if these offers are available in your area.

    Possibly, but not always. Battery life, or ‘state of health’, is linked to how frequently and deeply the battery cycles, or charges and discharges.

    Before making a decision to export from your EV, you should do your research to understand impacts on your battery.

    Firstly, you need to make sure the EV you want to buy has bidirectional (V2G) capability. Other key aspects are:

    • Electrical circuit capacity – Bidirectional-capable EVs can export electricity into your home at a fairly high rate of power, so your electrical circuits must be able to handle that safely. An appropriately experienced licensed electrical contractor can advise you
    • Bidirectional charging equipment – The bidirectional charging equipment becoming available in Australia costs many times more than normal unidirectional charging equipment and is not a standard inclusion with the purchase of a bidirectional-capable EV. Therefore, you need to include this additional cost when calculating potential savings made from using less electricity from the grid. Your EV salesperson or a bidirectional (V2G) EV charging equipment supplier can advise you
    • Connecting to the grid – To connect bidirectional charging equipment to the electricity grid in Queensland, a connection application will need to be submitted to us. Your bidirectional charging equipment supplier or electrical contractor will typically do this for you. If you wish to be paid for the EV battery power you export to the grid, you’ll need an arrangement with your electricity retailer and/or an aggregator. Connecting bidirectional charging equipment may impact your ongoing eligibility for a feed-in tariff, such as that under the Solar Bonus Scheme
    • Impact on your EV battery – A battery system’s life is typically measured in cycles, or the number of times it can be discharged then recharged, as well as the depth of those cycles. As a general rule, the more an EV’s battery is cycled, and the deeper those cycles are, i.e. the closer the charge levels get to 0%, the shorter its life will be. Your EV salesperson can advise you, but it's not a simple equation.

    Potentially. For example, if a cyclone damaged the local electricity network and there was no electricity available from the grid, you could use the power from your bidirectional-capable EV battery to power your premises, provided the appropriate electrical circuits and equipment had been installed.

    If the battery were to run low, and if safe to do so, you could drive your bidirectional-capable EV to an area where there was grid electricity supply, charge it, then drive it back to power your premises.

    If this capability is important to you, ensure it is available in any bidirectional charging equipment and EV you consider buying.

    Vehicle to Load (V2L) is a form of bidirectional charging in some EVs that allows an appliance or extension lead to be plugged into the EV to draw power from its battery. As of March 2025, around 25% of EVs in Queensland have this function.

    The three-pin power socket may be in the boot space, the cabin and/or in an adaptor that plugs into the external EV charging socket. This function could power items such as an appliance or light while camping, a laptop computer, or even plug-in household appliances during a grid outage.

    When using V2L, be particularly mindful of electrical safety risks which could be created by contact with water, cords being crushed by other vehicles or in doors or windows, and overloaded powerboards.

    As V2L does not require wall-mounted bidirectional charging equipment or a network connection, a connection application does not need to be submitted to us.