Image Credit: Nox Energy
Sydney based e-mobility company Nox Energy is to install nearly 2,000 Level 1 electric vehicle (EV) chargers for strata communities across Australia in a project backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Nox Energy, which was founded in 2023, bills itself as a provider of an end-to-end e-mobility charging ecosystem for property owners which integrates affordable charging infrastructure and an app-based payment system.
Targeting residential strata, public and commercial car parks, and fleets, Nox Energy has developed its Level 1 Intelligent Power Sockets (IPS), a smart socket that costs only $425 and costs between $250 to $750 to install.
And it is this IPS smart socket that has attracted the attention of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, which has committed $1.51 million under its Driving the Nation Program to deliver one of the country’s largest Level 1 EV charging infrastructure rollouts.
Specifically, Nox Energy will install nearly 2,000 IPS smart sockets across 16 apartment buildings around Australia as part of a $4.78 million initiative to deliver home charging to apartment residents without costly building upgrades.
The IPS smart sockets will be rolled out to both new and existing apartment complexes and provide a comprehensive real-world test of Level 1 EV charging across a range of different strata environments.
Additionally, where rooftop solar is already in use, Nox Energy will test specific load-shifting behaviours designed to encourage residents to charge their EVs during periods of high solar export.
Nox Energy expects that some of the strata apartments will need full infrastructure retrofits, while others will need only minor electrical work.
“Our mission is to democratise access to EVs, and this rollout will transform apartment living for thousands of residents who want to drive electric,” said Charlie Richardson, chief operating officer at Nox Energy.
“Our model removes cost and complexity for strata communities, providing affordable and accessible EV charging for older complexes and new builds.”
Nox Energy also operates a management system and app for payment, with EV drivers paying their own electricity costs at the strata retail tariff plus a small service fee, while owners corporations receive full reimbursement and apartment owners without an EV do not subsidise charging for others.
“NOX Energy is an innovative, proudly Australian company that delivers turn-key solutions through our proprietary hardware and software,” said Wylie Chak, co-founder and director at Nox Energy.
“This grant is the validation of years of development, testing, and installation. With ARENA’s support, we can begin to break down one of the biggest barriers to EV ownership.
“We will deliver nearly 2,000 smart charging points across Australia, expanding reliable and affordable access to EV charging at home – an important first step toward serving the millions who live in apartments. For too long, apartment living has had limited access to charging.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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Great initiative in charging for EV apartment owners.
Hmmm, so an average of $2390 per powerpoint. Given the smart powerpoints are only $425, that's a hell of a lot of installation costs.
It wouldn't take a lot of sparky call out time running conduit and cable to blow the costs out.
Given that these are being done en masse in just 16 buildings, there is minimal callout, it would be being done under contract in one continuous installation. Some electrical contractor is about to make a metric sh!t-tonne of cash from this...
Maybe you should lob a bid in then, Mr T, to undercut them and still make a handsome profit!
I mean, it’s so easy, what’s stopping you?
That's not much cheaper than a "Level"2 charger.
Nox Energy has developed its Level 1 Intelligent Power Sockets (IPS), a smart socket that costs only $425 and costs between $250 to $750 to install.
They also have development costs and the charging infrastructur etc to work out.
It is a very importent step forward, I do not mind if they make a bit of money on this.
Yes, the comments here seem to be focused on the cost of the hardware and installation only, not project managing it, legal considerations, software development and deployment costs and so on.
I expected to find at least a statement of how many kW these are capable of. Are they 10A circuits (2.2kW) or 15A circuits (3.3kW) or something else?
Nice.
However, there is no such thing as a “Level 1” charger in Australia. It’s an American term, unique to USA’s split phase local electricity distribution arrangement.