A 2026 Guide to Bi-Directional Charging in Australia
WORDS BY ANBY ALCOMENDAS
Bi-directional charging has long been talked about as the next big step for electric vehicles( EVs) in Australia and in 2026, we’ re moving closer to making it a quintessential part of EV ownership.
As the national fleet of zero-emission vehicles grows, so does interest in using their batteries for more than just driving. Businesses and organisations are moving beyond thinking about tailpipe emissions and towards how to turn EVs into batteries on wheels.
How Does Bi-Directional Charging Work?
In a standard EV charging setup, the grid supplies electricity to the vehicle in a single direction. With bi-directional charging, energy can flow in both directions. This means EV users can plug in their vehicles to charge up, store that energy in the EV’ s battery, and use that energy elsewhere when needed.
The average storage capacity of typical EV lithium-ion batteries ranges from 40 kWh to 100 kWh. This makes them a flexible energy storage solution that can be used in homes or smaller offices, retail locations, or remote sites.
Currently, there are three types of bi-directional charging options in Australia:
• Vehicle-to-Load( V2L) is the simplest and most widely available form. It can power appliances and devices directly, such as tools, camping gear or emergency equipment. As of February 2026, there were 54 models with V2L capability.
• Vehicle-to-Home( V2H) allows an EV to power a building, usually a house, by discharging stored energy into the property. It’ s believed that V2H is the most practical and immediate use case for bi-directional charging because it can deliver direct value to users without relying on complex energy market participation.
• Vehicle-to-Grid( V2G) allows EVs to export energy back into the electricity grid,
10 ISSUE 58 APRIL 2026 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU