V2G-Key: An Australian idea to power your home from your EV without a $6,000 charger
Why it matters: If it works as described, it would remove the biggest cost in vehicle-to-grid for the many homes that already have solar. But several things are still unknown. Merge hasn't published a price, named the cars it will work with, or listed any electrical or network approvals, and most networks require approved equipment before anything can export. The real bottleneck is also unchanged: the carmaker has to allow the car's battery to be used this way. Merge's answer is independent insurance cover if a carmaker or inverter maker refuses a warranty claim because of V2G use, though it doesn't name the insurer. It's one to watch, not one to plan a purchase around yet. What works today is in our V2G guide.
Australian company Merge Energy is developing V2G-Key, a wallbox that would let an EV run a house and export to the grid through the solar inverter the home already has. Today that takes a two-way DC charger costing about $6,000 to $11,000 before installation. V2G-Key takes a different route: the car charges on ordinary AC power, then sends power back as DC into the inverter's solar inputs, so the inverter treats the car like another set of solar panels. Merge calls this 'synthetic solar' and says the approach is patent-pending and will cost 'a fraction' of today's two-way chargers. It is not on sale. Merge is taking registrations for a paid customer trial next year and targets an Australia-wide launch in the third quarter of 2027.
Source: Merge Energy: V2G-Key (product page, read 15 Nov 2026)
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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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