ARENA has announced $4 million for a second vehicle-to-grid trial involving up to 130 ACT Government electric vehicles and bidirectional chargers. The project will test how fleet charging and power export work in everyday operations, rather than promise a new household payment scheme.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency says its funding will go to JET Charge for the REVS2 project, building on an earlier ACT fleet trial. The new deployment is intended to gather evidence on the practical benefits of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) use across a large government fleet.
The project will examine how vehicles can help the electricity system during periods of high demand while still meeting transport needs. That makes the trial relevant to fleet operators weighing charger procurement, vehicle compatibility and the operational rules needed before cars can export electricity.
For private EV owners, the announcement does not open a sign-up program or guarantee payments for sending power back to the grid. V2G depends on compatible vehicles, chargers, network connections and commercial arrangements; the ACT fleet project is testing those pieces in a managed setting.
Drivers who cannot charge at home should treat this as a technology and fleet-planning signal, not a near-term change to public charging access. The useful next update will be evidence from daily operations, including when the vehicles are available to plug in and what grid services they can reliably provide.
Australian Renewable Energy Agency : REVS2 announcement (21 October 2026)