Australian man sells EV power to grid

In what’s hailed as a “world first”, Adelaide man Jai (surname anonymous), 29, a residential power user, is able to sell power back at wholesale prices to the grid from his car battery.

Using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, Jai can charge his Nissan Leaf’s battery during the day when the electricity grid is most reliant on green energy such as solar and wind and wholesale energy prices are cheapest (at times, getting paid to charge when prices go negative).

Jai then uses his V2G set up to power his home using his car’s battery, and what’s left over he sells back to the grid at a higher rate.

By signing up through Australian residential wholesale energy provider Amber Electric, Jai sells power back to the grid at the same wholesale rates as a commercial energy supplier, making A$191.88 on a recent bill. 

Amber Electric co-chief executive Chris Thompson says the company is working on developing Amber for EVs to help reduce customers’ bills even further, through smart charging in line with wholesale pricing.

Optimised V2G is set to be rolled out next year.

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