Victoria’s Parliament has kicked off a wide-ranging look at how to make electric vehicles play nicely with the power system, and it’s asking the public to weigh in. Submissions are open to the Legislative Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee until 31 October 2025.
What’s on the table
The inquiry is scoped to answer a practical question: how do we harmonise EV uptake with electricity supply and demand so drivers, bill-payers and the grid all come out ahead? The Committee will examine, among other things:
- Ways to shift charging away from peak demand and towards times of plentiful supply.
- Whether public chargers are being rolled out fast enough across Victoria, including older suburbs where off-street parking is scarce.
- The role of distribution businesses in deploying charging infrastructure and how network tariffs for EV chargers should be set.
- Policies to accelerate EV ownership, including support for bidirectional charging (vehicle-to-home/grid).
- The second-life potential of retired EV batteries as household or community storage.
- Manufacturing, reconditioning and recycling opportunities—and the barriers—in Victoria’s EV battery supply chain.
Formally, the Council set the terms of reference on 15 May 2025, with the Committee due to report by 27 March 2026.
Committee Chair Georgie Purcell notes the work will look hard at distribution businesses’ role and tariff design to ensure charging that’s accessible, affordable and sustainable.
Why the grid cares about when you plug in
The grid isn’t buckling under total EV energy use—it’s the timing that can bite. Australia’s network is built around late-arvo and early-evening peaks. A wave of uncoordinated EV charging right then could pile on a new localised spike, stressing substations and street-level transformers. That’s where failures (and expensive upgrades) can creep in.
Smart fixes already in play
The good news: we’ve got tools.
- Smart charging can automate slower, cheaper, off-peak charging, or let the network nudge sessions to gentler times.
- Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) turns parked cars into mini power plants, letting households support the grid during peaks and earn in the process.
- Time-of-use tariffs reward drivers for charging off-peak, smoothing demand naturally.
- Rooftop solar + daytime charging lets you soak up surplus generation, cutting grid strain and running costs.
How to get involved
The Committee is inviting submissions from individuals, community groups, industry and anyone with skin in the game. Head to the Committee’s website to read the full terms of reference, sign up for updates and make a submission. Submissions close 31 October 2025.
Key dates at a glance
- Terms of reference adopted: 15 May 2025
- Submissions close: 31 October 2025
- Committee report due: 27 March 2026
Let's do it; it's not that hard
If we’re smart about it, EVs become a feature, not a bug: charge when the sun’s high or the grid’s quiet, lean on smart tariffs and tech, and let retired batteries pull a second shift in our homes and communities. That’s how Victoria turns a charging challenge into a reliability win.
Article source: parliament.vic.gov.au - Inquiry into Electricity Supply for Electric Vehicles