Australian utility makes cheap EV charging offer, for those who plug in after midnight

Australian big three utility AGL Energy has revamped its EV electricity supply plan with a new offer it hopes will encourage more of its electric vehicle driving customers to plug in and charge overnight – well, after midnight, to be precise.

The new Night Saver Energy Plan offers the option for EV owners to charge at a rate of 8c/kWh between the hours of 12am and 6am – a rate AGL says should fully charge a standard range EV (62kWh battery) for just $5 a pop.

The gen-tailer says the changes to its EV plan follow up on the findings of three years of ARENA trials conducted with AGL customers that found most home vehicle charging occurs overnight.

“We know our customers charge while they sleep and we have remodelled our EV energy plan to give them an affordable price to charge at the most convenient time,” said AGL chief customer officer Jo Egan on Tuesday.

ARENA said last year that the trial was based on projections in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s 2020 Integrated System Plan that there would be 2.2 million EVs in the National Electricity Market by 2034.

But three years later, those 2020 numbers already look well out of date. A report late last year by the now defunct Energy Security Board forecast that EV peak load – the electricity demand generated by people and businesses charging their EVs – would grow from 45MW in 2022 to nearly 4GW by 2035 and more than 8GW in 2050.

So finding ways to manage electric vehicle charging on Australia’s grid – both as a major new power load and as a potentially valuable grid management tool – is at the top of industry to-do lists.

And finding ways to get customers to help do it for you is a great start.

“As a leader in the energy transition, we are evolving our products and services to ensure they are flexible, simple and suit our customers’ lifestyle,” says Egan.

Another change to the offer, which applies to New South Wales customers only for now, will see Night Saver EV energy plan customers get special charging rates at bp pulse rapid ultra-fast chargers – an offer to be made available in other states shortly.

“The AGL Night Saver EV Energy Plan is part of a suite of customer offers and trials that we have rolled out to help our customers make the switch to an EV and help decarbonise the way they live, move and work,” Egan said.

As AGL explains here, customers don’t need a dedicated EV charger to take up the Night Saver plan – just a regular power socket and lead will do. But they do need a smart meter.

Egan says AGL customers can also charge at any time of the day for a discounted rate. And of course, for those with solar and who are home during the day, there’s the cheapest recharging option of all – from the rooftop.