The price of refueling electric vehicles in Australia is rising as the price of electricity soars
- Chargefox raises the cost of charging electric cars
- It will rise from 40 cents per kilowatt hour to 45 cents
- Follow the February price increases of Ampol and Evie Networks
The price of refueling electric vehicles in Australia is rising, with a third provider increasing the cost of some public chargers in response to rising electricity prices.
Chargefox, which operates Australia’s largest electric vehicle charging network, has revealed plans to increase the cost of car charging at select sites in NSW and Victoria.
The move follows similar price increases by Ampol and Evie Networks in February.
But electric vehicle experts said most drivers could avoid rising costs by changing their charging behavior and would still save money compared to operating a gasoline-powered car.
Chargefox revealed plans to increase prices for 20 of its fast-charging stations in a blog post, with 11 per cent added to the cost of charging cars in places including Ballina and Sydney in NSW, and Ballarat and Torquay in Victoria.
Chargefox revealed plans to increase prices for 20 of its fast-charging stations from 40 cents per kilowatt hour to 45 cents.
“In order to continue providing the best service, we must take into account the recent increases in energy prices,” the company said in a statement.
“That’s why we’re increasing the price of charging at some of our 50-kilowatt-hour fast-charging stations.”
The charging price at these locations will increase from 40 cents per kilowatt hour to 45 cents.
Evie Networks implemented a similar price increase across its entire network in February and Ampol increased charging costs at its five charging sites from 60 cents per kilowatt hour to 69 cents.
Future Urban Mobility from Swinburne University Hussein Dia said the price increases were not unexpected given the rising cost of electricity in Australia, and drivers would still save money compared to operating a petrol car.
Analysis by the Electric Vehicle Council showed that gasoline vehicles typically cost 14 cents per kilometer, compared to four cents per kilometer for electric cars.
Chargefox’s announcement follows similar price increases by Ampol and Evie Networks in February.
“Running electric vehicles has always been much cheaper,” said Professor Dia.
“This could mean we see some driver behavior adjustments. If you’re out and about and need to recharge, you don’t have a choice, but if people can anticipate their trip and charge overnight at home, they won’t be affected.”
The change could also encourage more electric car drivers to recharge their vehicles with solar energy, he said.
The national president of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, Chris Jones, said the “enormous” and rising cost of installing charging infrastructure could also increase public charging rates in the future.
But he said most motorists could avoid steep price increases by planning their trips and charging at work or home, and would take modest rate increases when driving long distances.
In a statement, Chargefox said it is raising costs because “we need to take into account recent increases in energy prices.”
“People will accept a substantial price tag on fast charging for the convenience it offers,” Mr. Jones said.
“As long as you don’t do it every day of the week, it won’t make a substantial difference to most people.
“People who need to fast charge on a regular basis, such as Uber, taxi, truck and delivery drivers, will probably start to feel it.”
Australia has almost 2,400 public EV charging points, and their number increased from 1,614 stations to 2,392 last year, according to the EV Council.
