Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) needs five things working together: a car whose maker has enabled discharge, a bidirectional charger matched to that car, metering that records exported energy, a communication path the programme can dispatch through, and the utility’s interconnection approval. Each item has a different decision-maker, and missing any one of them stops the export.
Key Takeaways
- V2G takes five things: a discharge-enabled car, a matched bidirectional charger, export metering, a dispatch path and interconnection approval.
- Each item has a different decision-maker — car maker, charger maker, utility, programme.
- The V2G kit is not the V2H backup kit; transfer gear belongs to home backup, metering and approval belong to export.
- EVDANCE sells no bidirectional product; its chargers are one-way.
The Kit, Item by Item
| Item | What it does | Who decides it qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| A discharge-capable car | Supplies the battery and sets the limits — how much may leave, and how low the charge may go | The car maker, for your exact model, in its own documents |
| A bidirectional charger | Converts battery DC back to grid AC, synchronised with the network, and controls the export | The charger maker — and it must be a unit matched to the car, speaking the same bidirectional standard |
| Export metering | Records the energy sent out separately from the energy drawn in, so the programme can settle it | The utility and the programme; some require a separate meter or account arrangement |
| Communication and dispatch | Lets the programme or aggregator schedule export windows and call on the car | The programme operator, whose platform the equipment must enrol with |
| Interconnection approval | The utility’s application, review and inspection that permit your equipment to push power into its network | The utility serving your address, under its own process |
The order matters when you are checking feasibility. Start with the car: if the maker has not enabled bidirectional use on your model, no charger purchase fixes that. Which EVs can do bidirectional charging sets out the car-by-car check, and our bidirectional charging explainer covers how V2G differs from its home-facing relatives.
What V2G Does Not Need
The export kit is often confused with the home-backup kit, because both start with a bidirectional charger. They part company at the destination. V2G sends power to the grid while the grid is live, so it needs metering, dispatch and approval — but it does not need the transfer equipment and critical-loads panel that vehicle-to-home (V2H) installs so a house can island safely during an outage. If you want backup power as well as export, you are specifying two systems that share a charger, and each half brings its own equipment list and its own approvals.
The Paperwork Is Part of the Equipment
Two items on the list are documents, not hardware, and they are not optional extras. The interconnection approval is what makes your installation a recognised small generator on the local network; exporting without it is not a shortcut, it is a non-starter. The programme enrolment is what turns export into payment — the platform that schedules your car and settles the account. Australia’s energy agency makes the same point in its national roadmap for bidirectional charging: cars, chargers, metering and market arrangements have to mature together before systems like this work for everyone.
Where EVDANCE Fits
Plainly: EVDANCE sells no bidirectional product, so nothing in its range completes this kit. The EV-AC03201T is a one-way dual-connector AC station (up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID) for charging cars, and the rest of the range on the commercial charging page is likewise one-way. If you are assembling a V2G setup, the charger line on your list has to come from the car maker’s matched system or a programme partner — and the five checks above still apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a normal charger be upgraded to do V2G later?
No. Bidirectional operation is built into the unit’s power electronics and controls; a one-way charger cannot be converted by software or accessories. Treat export as a separate equipment class from the start.
If my car offers V2L, does it have the equipment for V2G?
Not necessarily. Vehicle-to-load powers a device from the car and never touches the grid. V2G additionally needs the bidirectional charger, export metering, dispatch enrolment and interconnection approval listed above.
Do I always need a separate export meter?
The metering arrangement is the utility’s and programme’s call: some require a separate meter, others settle through an approved meter in the system. It is a line to confirm in the interconnection process, not to assume.
Related Reading
- Bidirectional Charging Explained: V2L, V2H and V2G
- Which EVs Can Do Bidirectional Charging?
- Is Bidirectional Charging Worth It?
- When Will Vehicle-to-Home Be Available?
