Petrol and diesel cars are starting to look a lot more expensive.

In this episode of The EV Charging Podcast, Jeff and Dan are joined live from the Smart Energy Conference in Sydney by Tom Gan from Ludicrous Feed to unpack why Australians are suddenly buying EVs, what rising fuel prices mean for petrol car owners, and whether now is the right time to make the switch.

The conversation covers record EV sales in Australia, the changing EV fringe benefits tax rules, the real five-year cost difference between petrol and electric cars, what Tom saw at the Beijing Auto Show, and how home charging, solar and batteries are changing the economics of EV ownership.

In this episode, we cover:

- Why EV sales in Australia have jumped so quickly
- Whether petrol and diesel cars are now becoming the expensive option
- The EV fringe benefits tax changes coming from April 2027
- How EV running costs compare with petrol over five years
- Why Chinese EV brands like BYD, Chery, MG, Kia and Zeekr are gaining ground
- What ultra-fast charging could mean for future EV adoption
- Why electric utes are still harder to crack
- How solar, home batteries and EV charging are becoming one connected home energy decision
- What V2G and V2H could mean for Australian homes in the future

If you are thinking about buying an EV, installing a home charger, or working out whether your next car should still be petrol, this episode is a practical look at what is changing and what Australian drivers should be watching next.

Most people still think of EVs as just cars.

But what if your EV could also help power your home, cut your electricity bills, or even support the grid?

In Episode 18 of The EV Charging Podcast, Jeff Sykes speaks with Matt Downie from V2Grid about the shift that could change how Australians think about EV charging: bidirectional charging.

This conversation explores why the first real use case may not be chasing grid profits at all, but something much more practical — backup power, energy resilience, and getting more value from the battery already sitting in your driveway. Matt also shares what’s happening on the ground in Australia, what’s still holding the market back, and why fleets, councils and everyday households could all play a role in what comes next.

In this episode:

• Could an EV act like a home battery?
• Why bidirectional charging is getting so much attention
• The difference between V2H and V2G
• What’s already possible in Australia
• Why outages and grid pressure are making this more relevant
• Where Matt thinks the market is heading next

In this episode of The EV Charging Podcast, we sit down with Scott Maynard, Managing Director of Polestar Australia, to unpack how one of the world’s fastest-growing EV brands is positioning itself in an increasingly crowded market.

We cover how Polestar has grown in Australia, why the brand is doubling down on a premium EV strategy (while others race to the bottom on price), and what actually matters to buyers beyond spec sheets.

The conversation also dives into some of the biggest questions facing EVs right now:

• Is vehicle-to-grid (V2G) actually ready in Australia?
• Why aren’t car manufacturers switching it on yet?
• What’s really happening with autonomous driving?
• And how will policy and incentives shape EV adoption over the next decade?

Scott also shares insight into Polestar’s shift to a retailer-led model across Australia, the thinking behind its sustainability approach, and what to expect from the upcoming Polestar 5.

If you’re considering an EV — or just want to understand where the market is heading — this is a practical, no-hype look at what’s actually happening on the ground in Australia.