Vehicle-to-Grid: Where Do Different Countries Stand on their V2G Journey?

France has a strongly centralized energy system dominated by a few major players. This makes decisions and innovations like V2G easier to implement, as there is far less need for coordination between different grid operators than in countries with decentralized structures. 

The foundation for bidirectional charging 

France launched its smart meter rollout as early as the mid-2010s, creating ideal conditions for bidirectional charging. According to German research institute FfE, variable electricity tariffs and variable as well as seasonal grid fees are also common practice. 

In regulatory terms, the country set its course early: while grid fees do apply to energy fed back into the grid, taxes amounting to 115 % of the fed-in energy volume are reimbursed. This offsets the round-trip losses incurred during charging and discharging. Simply put: anyone feeding energy from their electric car back into the grid in France actually gets slightly more in tax reimbursements than they originally paid for that amount of electricity. This significantly lowers the price spread required for a profitable V2G business model. 

>> Learn more about why France has overtaken Germany on Vehicle-to-Grid. 

From pilots to commercial offerings 

Several V2G pilot projects launched in France as early as 2018. The government recognized V2G early on as a building block for grid stability. Close cooperation between energy providers and automakers – chief among them Renault, which developed V2G-capable vehicles and charging infrastructure at an early stage – further accelerated product development. 

Consequently, France was the first country in the world to make Vehicle-to-Grid technology commercially available to EV owners. In October 2024, Renault Group, Mobilize, and The Mobility House launched a V2G offering that enables Renault 5 owners to charge their vehicle bidirectionally and feed surplus energy back into the grid. This is made possible by the PowerBox Verso bidirectional AC charging station and a dedicated energy contract. The benefits for customers are clear: with around 14 hours of daily grid connection, they save up to €600 per year, effectively driving up to 10,000 kilometers a year for free. 

Outlook 

V2G in France remains a niche market for now. Because the country's high share of nuclear power puts less strain on the energy system than in countries with higher renewable generation, the widespread rollout of V2G is not a high priority for the government. Developments are primarily driven by the automotive industry and energy providers. 

The UK faces a very different starting point than France: several nuclear power plants are scheduled to go offline by 2030, and as an island, the country is less well connected to the European electricity grid. Flexibility in energy supply is therefore a priority for the government. 

V2G foundation laid 

Smart meters are significantly more widespread in the UK than in Germany, with at least two thirds of households equipped with intelligent metering systems. Variable and dynamic electricity tariffs are well established, though not yet universally adopted. This creates a strong technical foundation for bidirectional charging.

The UK is one of three European countries – alongside France and the Netherlands – to meet all regulatory requirements for V2G. Accordingly, Octopus Energy offers one of the world's first commercial V2G products for residential customers there. 

From pilot projects to commercialization 

The UK recognized V2G's potential early, with the government allocating £20 million for research and testing as far back as 2017. That same year, Nissan and OVO launched a first V2G offering for Leaf owners, with savings projected to fully offset annual charging costs of £350–£400. Ofgem further accelerated progress by unveiling a plan in September 2021 to streamline energy resale back to the grid.

Despite this early momentum, rolling out V2G at scale remains challenging today. A key hurdle is the substantial certification effort required for charging systems exceeding 3.5 kW, which must meet stringent technical standards.

However, further development is bolstered by two factors: The UK's established standardized process for grid connection of certified charging systems, and growing user familiarity with flexible electricity tariffs.

Germany reached an important milestone in November 2025 when the Bundestag passed an amendment to the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) that ends the double grid fee problem for stored and fed-in energy. This represents a major step forward for the economic viability of bidirectional charging.

In addition, the federal regulator Bundesnetzagentur's MiSpeL ruling g takes effect on 1 October 2026, enabling revenue streams from feeding electricity back to the grid and streamlining billing processes.

Yet Germany's progress hinges significantly on smart meter deployment: with fewer than 10% of devices installed to date, widespread granular flexibility remains out of reach.

Automotive Industry as Driving Force

Despite these hurdles, momentum on the automotive side is strong: all major German automakers have V2G live or in rollout, with Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen's Elli division partnering with The Mobility House Energy, among others.

That the technology is market-ready in Germany is underscored by an early flagship project: the world's first commercially operating V2G system launched in Hagen in 2018. A Nissan LEAF was prequalified for primary control reserve under ENTSO-E guidelines, generated revenue through aggregation by The Mobility House Energy, and simultaneously stabilized grid frequency.

The technical barriers have been largely overcome. Germany's fragmented distribution grid landscape—with hundreds of operators—complicates uniform rollout compared to centrally structured markets like France. Yet the legislative reforms of 2025 and 2026 have meaningfully narrowed this gap.

Policymakers must now translate these rules into swift implementation—particularly regarding equal electricity tax treatment, accelerated smart meter deployment, and market-based flexibility procurement.

Together with France and Great Britain, the Netherlands ranks among three European countries where all prerequisites for V2G are met and commercial offerings exist, according to the IEA.

The technology has undergone extensive testing across multiple sites. A standout flagship project is the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam: operating since 2019 with The Mobility House's involvement, it integrates bidirectional vehicle charging with an existing 3-megawatt battery storage system (comprising 148 Nissan LEAF batteries) and a 1-megawatt rooftop solar installation. Our intelligent software control allows stadium visitors' electric vehicles not only to draw power via the charging station but also to intelligently feed energy back to the arena during their visit.

From Pilot to Commercial Scale

Utrecht exemplifies the transition from pilot to commercial implementation: since June 2025, Europe's first large-scale V2G carsharing fleet has operated in the city. The launch features 50 bidirectional Renault 5 E-Tech Électrique vehicles equipped with Mobilize V2G technology, with expansion to 500 vehicles already planned. The shared vehicles capture surplus solar power and return it to the grid during peak demand. At full capacity, they could supply up to 10 percent of the regional flexibility needed to balance solar and wind generation.

Outlook

Despite this progress, widespread commercial V2G deployment remains in its early stages. Yet the pioneering projects in Utrecht and Amsterdam demonstrate that the Netherlands is steadily advancing from trial operation toward mainstream adoption.

Japan's Vehicle-to-Grid market has accelerated significantly, driven by the country's push toward sustainable energy and rising electric vehicle adoption. However, development follows two divergent paths: Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) is already commercially established, while V2G remains in testing. The regulatory framework for widespread V2G deployment is still being developed.

Nissan as a Key Player

Nissan leads Japan's V2G landscape, leveraging its EV innovation expertise and V2G-enabled vehicles such as the LEAF. The automaker has spearheaded pilot projects and utility partnerships to test and deploy V2G technologies across the market.

Pilot Projects

Japan's V2G journey began in 2018 when Toyota Tsusho and Chubu Electric Power, in collaboration with Nuvve, launched the country's first V2G project—investigating grid stability through bidirectional charging and supply-demand balance optimization.

In 2025, energy technology platform Kaluza expanded its Mitsubishi partnership and launched Japan's first residential V2G demonstration project, marking a significant step toward consumer-scale deployment.

In the US, V2G remains largely confined to pilot projects and research initiatives, though momentum is steadily building. The regulatory landscape is fragmented: there are no unified national standards, but individual states are pioneering pathways. V2G regulations are already established in Massachusetts, California, Maryland, and Vermont, with New York advancing its framework.

In June 2025, General Motors released a software update enabling bidirectional charging for one of its electric vehicle models—a significant milestone, as the vehicles already possessed the necessary hardware capabilities.

For decades, Australia's electricity system relied on coal. The country is now massively scaling renewable energy, driving demand for grid flexibility. With eight million electric vehicles projected by 2035, this shift creates both opportunity and necessity.

A National Roadmap as the Foundation

In 2024, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and research center Race for 2030 published the "National Roadmap for Bidirectional EV Charging", outlining a pathway for V2G commercialization. The roadmap proposes 18 measures, including establishing the Vehicle-Grid Network—a collaborative initiative funded by ARENA, Race for 2030 CRC, and industry partners—designed to accelerate V2G deployment across Australia.

Pilot Projects Paving the Way to Commercial Offerings

Australia has already tested V2G in several pilot projects, including: 

• A twelve-month project by energy provider Horizon Power in Western Australia, starting in September 2024. 

• A year later, gas and electricity provider AGL Energy launched a twelve-month trial with manufacturers Hyundai, Kia, BYD, and Zeekr, involving 100 participants across four states. 

• In 2025, energy provider Origin Energy followed suit with 50 customers equipped with BYD vehicles and StarCharge wallboxes. 

• In another trial run by electricity provider Amber Electric, automaker BYD took on the battery warranty for 50 participating vehicles. 

The biggest push, however, comes from Amber Electric: starting in November 2025, the energy provider installed Australia's first fifty bidirectional residential wallboxes in New South Wales and South Australia. The program uses a variety of wallboxes and charging standards, with vehicles connecting via the CCS2 connector common in Australia. The response was strong: 6,000 people expressed interest in participating. 

In June 2026, Amber announced an expansion of the program to 1,000 households, supported by ARENA funding of AU$16.8 million (approximately €10.3 million).

Also in June 2026, Hyundai achieved Australia's first V2G discharge using ISO 5118-20 —the international standard for bidirectional charging.

Outlook

Both Amber Electric and AGL Energy are launching commercial V2G offerings in 2026. Amber Electric already has approximately 4,000 people on its waiting list.

With a national roadmap, an established collaborative network, and multiple parallel pilot initiatives in motion, Australia is positioned for accelerated V2G deployment.

A look at European and international markets reveals that Vehicle-to-Grid technology is largely mature, yet regulatory frameworks vary substantially across regions.

Regardless of the respective level of maturity, one thing holds true across all countries: marketing bidirectional-charging-capable electric vehicles on the spot market offers attractive returns and is comparatively easy to standardize. 

Implementation depends on the interplay of four key stakeholders:

• Automakers, who supply V2G-capable vehicles, 

• Charging infrastructure manufacturers, who provide bidirectional charging stations, 

• V2G service providers, such as aggregators or energy managers, who intelligently control and market the vehicle fleets, 

• Energy suppliers, who enable suitable tariffs and trading pathways. 

Only once this interplay works smoothly and the regulatory framework allows the flexibility of vehicles to be tapped profitably can V2G unfold its full potential and move from a niche existence to a firm pillar of the energy transition.