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News › Australia's biggest home vehicle-to-grid trial grows to 1,000 homesNews · 8 June 2026

Australia's biggest home vehicle-to-grid trial grows to 1,000 homes

Why it matters: Using your car as a home battery could cut the cost of owning both. One earlier participant earned more than $500 in a single high-price event, but results vary.

Charging and power

BYD Atto 3
Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. May show an overseas version.

Amber Electric's trial, starting with BYD cars, lets the car charge when power is cheap and send it back to the home or grid when it's worth most. ARENA funding takes it from 50 to 1,000 households, with drivers setting a minimum battery level.

Home solar and battery payback ›

Source: carsales

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How we work it out, and our sources

Weekly cost = the car's energy use × 250 km × your electricity or fuel price, with 90% of charging at home. Prices are list prices at November 2026; check with the dealer.

  • Electricity: 2026–27 default rates (AER, Victorian Default Offer, state retailers). Public charging: Sydney network prices, July 2026.
  • Petrol and diesel: capital-city daily averages from state government price feeds, via FuelRadar, 12 November 2026. Diesel for Hobart, Canberra and Darwin is estimated from the national fall.
  • Cars: maker figures via CarExpert, Drive, CarsGuide and EV Central. Plug-in electric range is taken as 80% of the claim.
  • Servicing: published capped prices; marked as an estimate where not yet published (CarExpert comparison).
  • Tyres: an EV set lasts about 35,000 km, a petrol or hybrid set 50,000 km (RACV); prices from Gridly.
  • Home charger: about $2,000 installed ($1,000–$3,000). Novated leases: PwC summary.

Printed from EV Pick Australia · evpick.com.au. Prices and costs are estimates; check with the dealer. © 2026 EV Pick (T. Crouch). For personal use only; not to be copied, republished or sold without permission.

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