A new kind of charger that allows an electric vehicle (EV) to be used as a giant home battery is close to going on sale in Australia, with the first commercial shipment to arrive within weeks.
Unlike standard one-way EV chargers, bidirectional chargers can also discharge energy from an EV, which means they can be used to power a home (known as vehicle-to-home or V2H) and its appliances, or to export energy to the grid (vehicle-to-grid or V2G).
This may sound simple, but bringing them to Australia has proven difficult.
For years, a mix of regulatory and engineering hurdles have repeatedly pushed back the technology’s rollout date.
Now it appears the date is almost here, with Melbourne-based EV charging company JET Charge expecting a delivery this month, and a second in April.
So how does a bidirectional charger compare with a standalone home battery, and when are they likely to be available to EV owners?
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