BYD Atto 3 Bidirectional Charging (V2H and V2G) Successfully Trialled

Bidirectional EV Charging startup Ambibox GmbH has successfully trialled V2H (Vehicle to Home) with the BYD Atto 3. The Atto 3 comes standard with an onboard bidirectional charger which allows its to discharge energy from its battery. To date, the Atto 3 has been limited to V2L applications, but this is the first reported case of a V2H application. This also means its technically capable of V2G, which entails exporting energy back to the grid.

▶️MORE: Watt is Bidirectional Charging, V2G, V2H, V2L?

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Ambibox CEO, Manfred Przybilla, confirmed on LinkedIn on Wednesday that they had "successfully discharged another production vehicle. This time the BYD ATTO 3. Again plug & play, simply plug in, set the discharge power via HEMS and off we went." During the trial they were able to discharge the Atto 3 to over 7kW which is higher than the standard discharge rate of 5kW for the Tesla Powerwall 2. A discharge rate of 7kW could easily meet the load requirements of a large Australian home. Manfred further stated that "BYD said their vehicles should be V2G able to, but they don't know. Now you know."

This is exciting news for BYD EV owners as it could mean its existing EV models (Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 6) equipped with a similar onboard charger could in the future updated to enable applications of V2H and V2G.

▶️MORE: Which Electric Cars Have Bidirectional Charging (V2L, V2H, V2G)

Is Bidirectional Charging Available in Australia?

Vehicle-to-load (V2L) is currently available in several of the latest models.

With regards to V2H and V2G, South Australia become the first jurisdiction in Australia to permit the connection of bidirectional chargers in its network. The only bidirectional charger approved to be used in bidirectional mode is the Wallbox Quasar which needs to be connected to a Nissan Leaf to activate the bidirectional charging feature. As of the time of writing, no other states in Australia have permitted the connection of bidirectional chargers in its network.

It should be noted that the Wallbox Quasar needs to be connected to a Nissan Leaf which uses the CHAdeMO plug which will not feature in any new electric cars going forward in Australia.

In Australia, the dominant charging plug is CCS, which is yet to feature an EV with V2H or V2G. CharIN e.V, the body in charge of driving commercialisation of V2G/V2H for the CCS standard, has set a roadmap for commercial availability by 2025. This means we are at least twelve to eighteen months away from commercial availability of V2G and V2H in everyday commercial and household settings.