Powershop expands half-price electric car charging offer as demand increases

The Driven

Online energy retailer Powershop has announced the expansion of its cut-rate electric vehicle charging offer from Queensland into New South Wales and Victoria, citing a rising interest in EVs around the country.

The announcement of the expansion into NSW and Victoria comes as Australian energy giant AGL just yesterday resurrected and upgraded its EV electricity plan offering $240 worth of credits towards bills to customers who own at least one electric car.

The Powershop move confirms a new trend by energy retailers to win over customers with plans based around EV ownership and charging. In addition to AGL’s offer, fellow big three retailer Origin Energy only weeks ago announced it had cut a deal with Hyundai to offer savings to owners of Kona and Ioniq electric vehicles.

This, in turn, suggests the shift to electric vehicles is finally taking hold in Australia which, up until now, has been branded a global laggard in reducing transport emissions by encouraging EV uptake.

Compared to the AGL and Origin offers, which take the form of rebates or credits, Powershop’s offer focuses on maximising the savings gained through driving an electric vehicle.

The New Zealand-owned company has also published research on Tuesday, showing one in four Australians are considering buying an electric or hybrid vehicle within the next two years.

According to the survey, more than half of respondents said they would make the change to reduce fuel and maintenance costs, and to address environmental concerns by reducing their carbon footprints.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…