In the rapidly evolving landscape of electric vehicles (EVs), accessibility to efficient and compatible charging solutions is pivotal for wider adoption. Origin Energy, a notable player in this arena, has taken a significant step forward.
As of October 1, 2024, Origin Energy announced an expansion of their EV charging product line, which, for the first time, extends beyond Tesla to include a variety of models from luxury car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
The Expansion: What Does It Mean?
Previously, Origin Energy’s charging solutions catered predominantly to Tesla owners. With two EVs in the garage, I signed up for Power Up back in May this year and have been enjoying the benefits of cheaper charging, as low as 8c/kWh.
This expansion signifies a shift towards a more inclusive EV infrastructure, acknowledging the growing diversity in the EV market.
For those owners considering the platform, this works by monitoring the amount of energy used to charge your EV, and Origin then effectively give you credit back from those kWh consumed.
To monitor this, Origin needs to connect to your vehicle’s data. They do this by using a 3rd party service called Enode which is an energy management platform that has more than 1,000 endpoints for Vehicles, Chargers, Batteries, Inverters, HVAC and more.
You will need to be comfortable in providing access to your vehicle via the API to enable this cheaper charging.
For Mercedes and BMW EV owners , this change will be a welcome change as they previously were not able to access the plan. I think it’s a fair assumption that Origin are seeing good adoption of the EV Power Up plan and are likely to continue add support for additional manufacturers.
With the rise in Chinese-built EVs in Australia, particularly BYD who are well represented on the sales charts would be a logical place to go next.
