Australia is preparing to turn parked electric cars into powerful grid assets. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed AU$4 million to JET Charge for the country’s largest commercial electric vehicle grid-support deployment. Announced on October 21, 2026, the initiative will involve up to 130 government fleet vehicles and bidirectional chargers in the Australian Capital Territory. Using Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, these cars could return stored electricity during peak demand instead of remaining idle. The bigger ambition is to prove that fleet operators can earn money, reduce energy costs and support renewable power without compromising essential daily government transport services.
ARENA backs JET Charge’s Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) REVS2 project, a reported AU$5.35 million, three-year trial running through 2029, including JET Charge’s own AU$1.25 million contribution. Up to 130 ACT government EVs will test whether stored battery power can support the electricity grid profitably.
Why REVS2 Matters
REVS2, meaning Realizing Electric Vehicle-to-Grid Services 2, moves beyond technical trials into commercial operations. Bidirectional chargers allow electricity to flow into EV batteries and back to the network.
The trial has three priorities:
- Grid stability: Supply energy when electricity demand spikes.
- Fleet economics: Test payments, savings and revenue opportunities.
- Operational reliability: Keep vehicles available for journeys.
Some cars provide daytime home-health services, making overnight parking an opportunity to export energy. ARENA CEO Darren Miller sees fleets as distributed renewable energy storage, while JET Charge CEO Tim Washington says the technology must demonstrate commercial value.
The 2024 Emergency That Proved It Works
REVS2 follows a 2020 project involving 51 Nissan Leaf vehicles, ActewAGL, JET Charge, utilities, researchers and the ACT government. During destructive Melbourne storms in February 2024, 16 vehicles plugged in around Canberra responded to grid disturbances within seconds, delivering 107 kilowatts of support before returning to normal charging.
That event established potential. Now Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) must prove itself economically across a working fleet.
Australia’s EV Boom Raises the Stakes
Battery-electric cars accounted for more than 40% of new ACT registrations this financial year. Nationally, battery-electric and plug-in hybrids represented 25.8% of new car sales during January–June 2026, up from 12.1% a year earlier.
But electric trucks and vans remain below 1% in their respective markets. Reaching five million battery EVs by 2035 would require roughly 4.5 million additional vehicles.
Homes, Standards and the Bigger Prize
ARENA also provided Amber Electric AU$13.6 million to expand residential V2G participation from 50 to 1,000 homes, bringing program funding to AU$16.8 million. Thirty-three trial vehicles produced AU$567.74 in energy value between May 12 and June 11, mostly by powering homes rather than exporting electricity.
An ARENA-backed roadmap estimates that 10% of 1.5 million projected EVs using V2G by 2030 could meet 37% of National Electricity Market storage needs.
Meanwhile, Canberra’s first Open Charge Alliance Plugfest is testing equipment compatibility and cybersecurity. Industry participants warn that standards, certification, and automaker support need improvement.
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