Origin Energy Offers $5 Charge for EV Drivers

An electric vehicle is charged at a Tesla charging station in Ottawa on July 13, 2022. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Electric vehicle owners are being offered the opportunity to fully charge an electric vehicle (EV) for less than $5 (US$3.29) by a major Australian energy firm.

Energy giant Origin Energy is offering the trial, known as EV Power Up, for at least 200 Tesla EV owners in early 2024.

The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) listed energy giant is providing EV charging at 8 cents per kilowatt-hour via an app at a time that suits the customer.

“Take your EV from zero to full in under $5,” Origin Energy states online.

“A game-changer in EV charging is coming to Origin in 2024. With Origin EV Power Up, we’re breaking new ground as the first energy retailer in Australia to allow scheduled EV charging in our app with access to a tailor-made, super low 8c/kWh rate at any time during your schedule, regardless of what energy plan you’re on.”

A Tesla typically costs between $16 to $49 to fully charge, depending on the model and type of charger, Zecar reported recently.

Origin Future Energy General Manager Brendan Manzie told AAP the company would charge the vehicle based on where electricity was the “most available” and “cheapest to access.”

“We’ve had a huge amount of interest in a very short time for this so there’s a lot of pent-up demand in this space. We think this is where the future is for EV drivers,” he said.

Mr. Manzie believes in 2030 there will be about 3 million EV cars on the road in Australia, which could present a problem if everyone charges at the same time.

“Not too far from now, we‘ll be in 2030 and there’ll be something like 3 million EVs on the road. If all of those EVs turn up back at home at 6 p.m. and plug into charge at the same time, we don’t have a grid that can handle that.”

Origin Energy shares are fetching $8.28 on the Australian Stock Exchange at the time of writing, up 0.12 percent on the previous close.

EV Sales Hit Record in 2023

EV sales hit a record in 2023, data released by the  Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) in early January reveals.

Battery electric vehicles accounted for 7.2 percent of all vehicles sold in Australia in 2023, more than double the amount in 2022.

Plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars made up 16.2 percent of cars sold in Australia last year, while SUV and light commercial cars made up 78.4 percent of sales.

“Battery electric vehicles accounted for 7.2 percent of sales with combined battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles achieving 196,868 sales or 16.2 percent of new vehicle sales,” the FCAI said in a statement.

Electric vehicles (EV) line up outside a Tesla dealership in Melbourne on April 19, 2023. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images

Overall, Australia’s automotive sales also broke records for new vehicle sales in 2023, including diesel cars. More than 1.21 million vehicles were sold during the year, up from the previous record of $1.19 million in 2017.

“Toyota was the top-selling car brand with 17.7 percent of the market, while the top-selling vehicle was the Ford Ranger. SUVs and light commercials accounted for 78.4 percent of sales and comprise all the top 10 vehicles sold in 2023,” the FCAI said.

FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said this record-breaking achievement underscored the dynamic and competitive nature of Australia’s automotive landscape.