Queensland Tesla owner files ACCC complaint over home-discharge restrictions
He has asked Tesla, in writing, to hold updates until it confirms discharge will keep working.
Chuq / Wikimedia Queensland owner Mark Purcell wrote in The Driven that he lodged a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission after others reported Tesla software cut off third-party home discharge. He avoided the update, and his own Model Y still powers his house.
He is an electrical engineer in Noosa Heads. On 12 October his Model Y supplied about 25 kWh through a Sigenergy bidirectional DC charger. Those reports are about third-party adaptors in the charge port, not a cut-off of that home charger.
Charge-port adaptor reports
On a Tesla Motors Club thread, owners reported that software 2026.38.5.1 stopped an adaptor after about three minutes at 3 kW, or after about 15 to 20 minutes. The car logged a battery-management fault.
The release notes for 2026.38.5.1 include the line "This update includes important security fixes and improvements." They do not mention discharge.
A later build on the branch, 2026.38.5.5, began reaching Australian and New Zealand cars in October.
Home backup options
He writes that Tesla Australia has said Powershare cannot be added to existing cars, and that in Australia it only runs appliances from the car. On that account, a third-party charger is how those cars would power a house.
The same piece quotes an Australian owner's manual: "Do not use the Battery as a stationary power source. Doing so voids the warranty." He has asked the Australian Electric Vehicle Association to support the complaint.
Rod Bland is the publisher and editor of Volts & Bots. He lives in Sydney and drives a Model Y L bought in Australia in 2026, with HW4 and FSD (Supervised). More about Rod Bland.