Two questions get asked about the same thing: is a vehicle-to-home setup eligible, and is a vehicle-to-grid battery eligible for STCs. At the time of writing the answer to both is no.
What the program covers
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program covers stationary battery systems of 5 to 100 kWh nominal capacity that are connected to solar, appear on the Clean Energy Council approved list, are VPP-capable and are installed by an accredited installer. Portable batteries and electric vehicles are not eligible. A car’s traction battery is not an installed battery system under those rules, even when the car can export power through a bidirectional charger.
Vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid
Vehicle-to-home (V2H) lets a compatible EV supply the house during an outage or at peak times. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) lets it export to the network. Both use the vehicle’s battery. Neither creates battery STCs, whatever the size of the car’s pack. Standards and network approvals for bidirectional chargers are also still developing, so the charger itself may have its own approval path.
What an EV owner can do
- Fit a home battery as well. An eligible home battery with solar earns STCs on usable capacity. The EV is irrelevant to the calculation. Use the battery STC calculator.
- Size for the EV. Charging an EV from solar during the day adds load. If most charging happens at night, a larger home battery may suit, but the rebate falls in tiers above 14 kWh. See the tiers.
- Check VPP options. Some VPP programs reward batteries, and some are starting to include EV chargers. See the VPP incentive stack.
- Check state schemes. Some have EV-related offers. Read the scheme’s official page; many battery schemes have closed.
A word on marketing
Retailers sometimes advertise a “battery rebate” next to EV packages. Make sure the discount is attached to a stationary battery on the CEC list, and ask for the STC count. If the quote shows a rebate on a vehicle or portable pack, ask for the legislative basis in writing.
What this means for installers
Do not include V2H hardware in the battery claim. Photograph and serial-number the stationary battery, and keep the bidirectional charger on a separate line of the quote and the job file. See the battery submission guide and the battery STCs pillar. For settlement of battery claims, see /start-trading/.
What this means for you
Treat the EV and the home battery as separate purchases. The EV earns no federal battery discount, and the home battery should be quoted on its own merits and the number of certificates it creates. See /pricing/ for how STC value is determined.