V2G: The Ultimate Test for EV Infrastructure

Originally published on EV Infrastructure Summit May 21st 2026.

Vehicle-to-grid could turn EVs from passive electricity consumers into grid-supporting assets – but only if the infrastructure is ready.

As EV adoption grows in Australia, it’s tempting to focus on building more chargers, but as the market matures, charging station rollout is proving insufficient. The next phase of EV infrastructure is upgrading from where vehicles charge to how they interact with the energy system.

Often sold as a simple power exchange where excess energy is sent back to the grid, V2G is better understood as a coordination challenge that allows EVs to become grid-responsive storage. But this only works when multiple parts of the system move in sync: vehicles, chargers, software platforms, grid operators, energy retailers, markets and customers.

According to Riccardo Pagliarella, OCPP Ambassador for Asia and Oceania at the Open Charge Alliance, Australia needs interoperability across all sectors before it can manage demand, absorb excess renewables solar, support the grid and create new commercial value. 

It starts with the customer, explains Pagliarella. Rather than assuming fleets will lead the first wave of V2G adoption, he argues that early demand is coming from private consumers looking for resilience, lower bills, or the ability to use their vehicle battery when the grid is under pressure. Fleets, however, with predictable, centrally managed downtime and often parked for defined periods, will be the critical driver of scale. 

Pressurised grids

Grids are becoming increasingly complex. In markets with high renewable penetration, the challenge is to balance supply and demand at the right times. When managed intelligently, EVs can charge when electricity is cheap, clean or abundant, then reduce demand or discharge when the grid is under pressure. 

Instead of drawing power whenever they are plugged in, vehicles can respond to signals from the system, which helps absorb excess daytime generation, shift demand away from peaks and support the grid when pressure rises.

The market is still underestimating what Pagliarella calls “the potential of flexibility” – the latent value sitting inside EV batteries that are already being bought for transport. He argues that Australia needs to worry less about building more chargers, and focus on the potential of the EV ecosystem that can coordinate homes, streets, depots, car parks and fleets. It’s this transformation that will turn passive consumers of electricity into active participants of the grid. 

V2G is the top of the pyramid

V2G is not a simple infrastructure upgrade – it requires readiness from a much larger ecosystem. Describing V2G as “the apex” of EV infrastructure, Pagliarella explains that before a vehicle can reliably support the grid, multiple layers have to be in place: the right vehicle, a bidirectional charger, software orchestration, secure communications, open standards, market rules, cybersecurity considerations, customer consent, battery and warranty confidence, and a revenue model that makes participation worthwhile.

However, V2G should not be treated as the starting point for the next phase of EV infrastructure, says Pagliarella – it is the result of the infrastructure maturing: the vehicle must be capable of discharging power, the charger must support two-way energy flows, the software must know when charging should start, stop, slow down or reverse, the customer or fleet operator has to trust their vehicle will be ready when needed, the grid operator has to know that exported power is safe, visible and controllable, the market has to value the service, and someone has to decide how the financial benefit is shared.

Without those layers, V2G remains a compelling demonstration project instead of an integral part of energy infrastructure. The grid does not need random batteries discharging at random times – it needs coordinated flexibility. If thousands of vehicles are to support the system, it has to know which vehicles are available, how much energy they can provide, what constraints apply, who’s authorised to control them and how they should respond when the network is under pressure.

Why open standards matter

Open standards are critical to ensuring multiple parts of the system communicate safely and reliably. Vehicles, chargers, software platforms, charge point operators, energy retailers, aggregators and grid operators all need to exchange information consistently, securely and interoperably.

Without a shared language, V2G risks being trapped in a closed ecosystem of one-off pilots or proprietary platforms that cannot scale across markets. Open standards such as OCPP help prevent EV infrastructure from becoming a patchwork of disconnected systems and support communication between chargers and the software systems that manage them. 

The communication layer is imperative in a two-way energy system; a charger that only delivers electricity is a simple asset. A charger that responds to grid signals, manages load, coordinates with solar and batteries, and supports V2G is more intricate. 

If councils, fleets and property owners buy charging infrastructure that cannot communicate with other systems, they limit their ability to add smart charging, change software providers, integrate with energy platforms or participate in future grid services. This matters because as EVs become more valuable to the grid, the more vital interoperability becomes.

A fragmented charging network may still charge cars, but it will struggle to support coordinated flexibility that V2G requires, therefore, it cannot be separated from standards, says Pagliarella. It must have a foundation of communication in the infrastructure that works across vehicles, chargers, software platforms and energy markets without locking the system into isolated silos.

The commercial question

If the technical pathway becomes clear, the commercial question looms: who gets paid when an EV helps the grid?

Currently, the value of flexibility can sit in several places simultaneously, including:

1. A driver who wants lower energy bills or backup power.

2. A fleet operator who wants to reduce depot energy costs, protect vehicle uptime or create a new revenue stream from parked assets.

3. A charge point operator who wants better utilisation.

4. A retailer or aggregator who wants a controllable load.

5. A network operator who wants to avoid infrastructure upgrades.

6. A site owner who wants to manage peak demand across a building, depot or precinct.

   
   

Creating opportunity and complexity, if an EV discharges power during a period of grid stress, the benefit could be shared across the driver, fleet owner, energy retailer, aggregator, charge point operator and wider network. But, if the value is not visible, measurable or fairly allocated, participation becomes difficult to scale.

For households and fleets to participate, the proposition has to be simple enough to trust and valuable enough to justify. Drivers need confidence in charge reliability, fleet operators need to be ensured that grid participation will not compromise routes, utilisation or battery health, and investors and infrastructure owners need a revenue model that is bankable, not theoretical.

For fleets, the commercial value may not come from one single source, but rather a combination of lower fuel costs and energy bills, smarter depot management, improved resilience, carbon reduction, avoided peak charges and future grid-service revenue. The challenge is turning that stack of potential benefits into a clear business case.

The market does not only need vehicles and chargers that can send power both ways – it needs products, tariffs, contracts and operating models that make flexibility worth participating in.

The next phase 

Whilst more chargers encourages adoption, a smarter energy system will unlock the real value of EVs. For councils, fleets, property owners and infrastructure investors, the lesson is clear: the decisions being made today will determine if EV assets can evolve tomorrow. 

Charging infrastructure that is built only to meet immediate demands will struggle as expectations mature. Infrastructure designed around interoperability, data visibility, load management and future grid participation will be better placed to support the next stage of electrification, shifting the conversation from: where do we need more chargers to a more ambitious one: how do we make chargers intelligent enough to help manage the grid?