Powershop, Chargefox partner to offer energy bill discounts for EV owners

Electric vehicle owners who use Chargefox, Australia’s only public ultra-rapid EV charging network, are being offered a $100 discount on their energy bill if they switch to green energy-oriented electricity retailer Powershop for their household electricity supply.

The news comes as Powershop recently announced a special EV tariff, which encourages customers to charge their EVs at home during off-peak periods between midnight and 4 a.m. on weekdays. The retail arm of New Zealand-based utility Meridian Energy is not alone in upgrading its offers to EV owners. AGL is offering a credit of up to $240 per year towards the electricity bill of EV owners, while Origin Energy has teamed up with Hyundai to offer discount off a new solar system from Origin.

Interim Powershop Australia CEO Catherine Anderson said the partnership coupled with Powershop’s new off-peak tariff would allow its customers to cost-effectively charge their electric vehicles anywhere, at home or on the road. “We recently did research that found 57% of Australians said they would consider buying an electric or hybrid vehicle because it will help reduce their fuel costs,” Anderson said.

“Our research found that three of the top five reasons people would consider buying an electric or hybrid vehicle were financial: the price of fuel, the cost to run and the cost to maintain,” she said. “We want to give our customers a more cost-effective option to charge their EV and be a driving force for EV uptake to help create a better energy future that Australians need and deserve.”

For Chargefox, the new partnership follows the addition of 22 charging locations from Adelaide to Brisbane, via Melbourne and Sydney, in the first phase of the company’s rollout of ultra-rapid charging network to 100 sites around the country. All Chargefox charging stations are powered by a solar and battery storage system and offer 350 kW ultra-rapid Tritium chargers that can deliver up to 400km of range in 15 minutes to four cars simultaneously, while some also feature 50 kW fast chargers with up to 60km of range in 15 minutes.

CEO of Chargefox, Marty Andrews, said this partnership with Powershop means EV drivers can charge at home or on the go for much cheaper than filling up a petrol vehicle, bringing Australia one step closer to increased electric vehicles adoption. “Our partnership with Powershop gives our customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint even more whilst reducing their energy bills,” said Andrews.

In other EV-related news on Tuesday, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has committed $469,380 in funding to Evenergi to help businesses and consumers to make informed choices and help electricity networks to plan for the potential impact of EVs.