AGL flags electric vehicle subscription service for customers

AGL Energy is making a new push into the electric vehicle market, with a plan to offer customers a flat-rate subscription for a range of cars alongside its gas and electricity retail services.

The EV plan, which will be detailed on Wednesday, to celebrate World EV Day, was hinted at on Tuesday in an announcement launching the gen-tailer’s newly established innovation department, AGL Next.

AGL’s executive general manager of future business and technology, John Chambers, said in the statement that AGL Next would develop, test and pilot new ideas and programs across energy, telecommunications and beyond.

The statement said initial opportunities developed under AGL Next would look at the use of EVs, start-up partnerships and investments and “explorations of other customer problems.”

The company would not reveal the full details of the EV plan until Wednesday, but did tell the Australian Financial Review that the subscription platform would be like the “Netflix of EVs.”

What this means, precisely, remains to be seen. But it is not AGL’s first move to drive the uptake of electric vehicles in Australia.

Back in 2016, then CEO Andy Vesey unveiled plans to offer AGL electricity customers a similarly gimmicky $1 a day “all you can eat” electric vehicle charging service.

“Growth is important,” Vesey said at the time. “We think doing things to encourage electric vehicles for consumers is important.

“We can’t make the cars. We can’t buy the cars … But we certainly can enable our customers to make the purchases.”

Four years later, the thinking appears to remain the same – although AGL is also doing its own bit, having last month announced plans to transition its 400-strong vehicle fleet to electric vehicles by 2030.

More details to come.