Add Australia to the list of countries keen to be at the forefront of plug-in hybrid technology.

The country’s CSIRO and Victorian energy distributor SP AusNet have begun a three-month road trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with staff from SP AusNet to use the vehicles for their daily drive to work and for leisure purposes.

Engineers from CSIRO modified Toyota Prius vehicles, removing the OEM battery pack and instead installing a larger 6kWh, 30Ah NiMH battery pack with five times the capacity of the original. This, alongside a battery charger, allows the cars to plug into and charge with electricity from the grid or from on-site renewable energy sources.

According to Dr Phillip Paevere, CSIRO energy transformed flagship scientist, the road trial will collect extensive information as to how the existing technology could be used for a new application. The vehicles will monitor the travel patterns of different users with the residual power left in the car at the end of the day made available for other uses. When not being used, the car in the driveway could even become a large battery and energy source for the house.

A spokesman for SP AusNet, Sean Sampson, said the trial will allow for a thorough analysis into what electricity demands are likely to be when plug-in electric vehicles are connected to the network.

The road trial is the first phase in an analysis of the potential for using plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Australian homes. The technology will also be used in the home energy system of CSIRO’s zero emission house project.