Smarter Charging Could Supercharge Australia’s EV Future

ARENA funds Amber Electric’s 1,000-home trial to test smart charging and V2G, easing grid strain and cutting energy bills

23 Jan 2026

Australia’s electric vehicle story is entering a new chapter. The question is no longer how quickly chargers can be rolled out, but how cleverly they can be used as EV numbers climb and the grid feels the strain.

A fresh initiative backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency points to that shift. ARENA has committed $3.2 million to a large trial led by Amber Electric, testing smart charging and Vehicle-to-Grid technology across more than 1,000 households. Some participants will receive subsidised smart chargers, designed to give drivers and the grid more control over when cars draw power.

The idea is simple but powerful. Instead of charging the moment a car is plugged in, smart systems can wait for periods when demand is lower and electricity is cheaper. That matters most in the early evening, when households are cooking, cooling, and switching on lights all at once. Shifting EV charging away from that peak could ease pressure on the grid and trim costs for drivers.

The federal government has already flagged managed charging as a practical way to support rising EV uptake without blowing out energy bills. This trial puts that theory to work at scale.

What sets the program apart is its focus on Vehicle-to-Grid, or V2G. In this setup, EVs do not just consume electricity. They can also send it back to the grid when demand spikes. ARENA has likened this to batteries on wheels, recasting EVs from a potential burden into a flexible energy resource.

The implications ripple well beyond households. For retailers and network operators, coordinated charging could smooth demand, delay expensive upgrades, and open new revenue streams tied to flexibility. For drivers, it promises lower bills and a stronger payoff from owning an EV.

There are hurdles. V2G-ready vehicles and chargers remain limited, and market rules for paying drivers for exported power are still taking shape. Even so, the direction is clear.

Australia’s EV charging market is moving past a race to install hardware and toward a smarter, more coordinated energy system. If this trial delivers, it could reshape how transport and electricity work together, and bring the grid along for the ride.