One of Australia's largest energy firms will test whether electric car drivers are willing to plug their vehicles into the grid in exchange for free 'fuel'.

Origin Energy announced a vehicle-to-grid technology trial on Tuesday, revealing it had partnered with automaker BYD and StarCharge to test the technology in car subscription packages.

Fifty customers will be selected to take part in the pilot, which begins next year.

The announcement comes less than a week after the federal government revealed half of all new car sales would need to be electric to meet its 2035 climate target , and months after a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) standard was approved for Australia.

Origin's technology trial will see participants offered a subscription to a BYD Atto 3 electric car, bundled with a StarCharge

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