VEIC Victoria has commissioned an inquiry into the demand for charging electric vehicles (EVs) and the demand for the electric grid in the State of Victoria. The inquiry seeks to explore the relationship between the charging of EVs and the allocation of electricity. Considering the EV numbers, the grid balance, and the use of energy. The scope of the inquiry, major focuses, and the inquiry’s importance for the prospective EVs for the State of Victoria are outlined in the latter part of this article.
Purpose and Scope of the Inquiry
The inquiry is being driven by the Victorian Legislative Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee. The inquiry focuses on the EV charging and electric grid balance. The inquiry seeks to define the parameters of when to avoid charging EVs, during peak demand hours of the electric grid, and when to promote charging, during hours where there is an abundance of renewable energy, especially peak solar hours. The inquiry is also interested in assessing the pace at which public EV charging station infrastructure is rolled out across the state, especially in older urban centres with limited off-street parking. The inquiry is due to public report by the end of March 27, 2026, and calls for public submissions until October 31, 2025.
Key Areas of Investigation
The inquiry is guided by a few pivotal themes:
- Encouraging EV ownership and facilitation of bidirectional charging where EVs can charge from a home or the grid and provide power back.
- The involvement of electricity distribution businesses in the placement of EV chargers and how network tariffs for EV charging should be structured.
- The potential for old EV batteries to be repurposed for distributed household or community energy storage, and the EV battery reconditioning, manufacture, and recycle barriers.
- The charging of batteries in public EVs and the provision of charging infrastructure, especially in geographies where off-street parking is not available, is the primary focus of the inquiry.
Managing Grid Pressure
One of the most important objectives is dealing with potential pressure that EV charging may impose on Victoria’s electricity grid during peak demand periods. The inquiry is considering the potential of managed charging to shift charging to off-peak periods or times of excess renewable energy supply. The network may avoid costly upgrades and help balance demand, and previous projects that have trialed smart managed charging demonstrated the potential to avoid infrastructure expansions.
Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Victoria has embraced the EV charging infrastructure development and building civivll EV adoption. The State Government has also implemented programs such as the Destination Charging Across Victoria (DCAV), which provides funding for the installation of fast-charge stations within reach across the State. The inquiry, however, points toward the equitable distribution of charging across all suburbs, and especially for those residents who have limited off-street parking as public chargers are relied upon more.
Future Prospects
The challenges include setting just and equitable prices for electricity tariffs for the EV public charging, incentivizing building public and private charging, and the end-of-life lifecycle of EV batteries. Positively, the inquiry also provide the chance of building local EV recycling and the use of EV batteries in second-life applications, such as energy storage, which helps the grid.
Short Table: Inquiry Focus Areas
| Focus Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Charging Demand Management | Reducing EV charging at peak grid times |
| Charging Infrastructure Expansion | Assessing public charger rollout across Victoria |
| Bidirectional Charging & Battery Use | Facilitating V2G, V2H, and battery repurposing |
| Electricity Tariffs and Distribution | Role of electricity distributors and tariff setting |
What the Inquires are trying to find answers for
Q1. Why is the inquiry centered upon EV charging demand?
The negative impact of charging of the electricity grid is rising especially and directly correlated to the rise of the EV in the marketplace. This inquiry aims to find the equilibrium of charging so there is a maintain state of grid reliability as well as priced affordably.
Q2. How will the inquiry help EV owners?
It works to guarantee that owners of EVs will have consistent and cost-effective charging resources, even in regions where options for charging at home are scarce.
Q3. What is meant by bidirectional charging?
Bidirectional charging refers to situations where EVs can return power to the grid (Vehicle-to-Grid) or to residences (Vehicle-to-Home) which helps in grid stabilization and supplying power during peak demand.
