Aussie gentailer Origin has joined forces with electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD and EV charging company StarCharge to announce the trial of Australia’s first EV subscription bundled with a bi-directional charger and access to free home EV charging.
Bi-directional charging allows EV drivers to charge the car from the grid or from their solar system, and then also send electricity back to the grid.
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“Vehicle-to-grid charging is a real game-changer that could turbocharge the EV market in Australia by allowing EV drivers to send electricity back to the grid from their car and get rewarded for that,” Origin general manager—e-mobility Chau Le said.
“We are excited to be at the forefront of pioneering this technology with the trial of this Aussie first vehicle-to-grid bundle that makes it simple and easy for drivers to unlock benefits through access to free charging.”
Powered by Origin’s Virtual Power Plant, drivers will simply plug in most days and let the tech do the rest. For eligible customers who participate in the trial, the fully automated process will provide free charging at home for every kilometre driven during the EV subscription up to an estimated 24,000km per year.
Origin is currently taking expressions of interest for the trial which will commence in 2026 with pricing available at under $800 a month after tax savings.3 People can express their interest here. The trial is limited to 50 customers and eligibility criteria will apply.
Eligible customers will receive a BYD Atto 3 on subscription (valued at RRP $39,900 before on-road costs), a bi-directional StarCharge V2G Halo charger (RRP $6,000AUD) and access to an Origin smart tariff with free home charging.
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“This trial will help us understand the impacts of bi-directional charging on customer behaviour, impacts to their EV, and test how to best share value back with customers.”
V2G will unlock savings for EV drivers by turning their car into a battery on wheels. Drivers will be able to charge from the grid when wholesale electricity is cheap, like during the day when there is often high volumes of solar generated electricity in the grid. They will then be able to send some of the energy stored in their EV battery back to the grid at peak times when wholesale electricity is expensive.
