Back in February, I brought you news of a new EV plan from Origin. It seems the keyboard monkeys hit the go button a little too early as the page was ultimately revoked. Now in early March, Origin Energy’s EV plan is back and here to stay.
Unfortunately, this plan has now been bastardised from the original version which offered up to 5 hours per day of free energy. The changes in requirements are so severe that I can no longer recommend it and can only hope Origin has a strong rethink on this one. The original plan could have seen them win significant market share as a result of the offering and set them up to be the default energy choice for EV owners in Australia.
Origin’s changes significantly reduces the appeal of the plan, with the EV Energy Plan only available to customers who sign up for Origin’s new Subscription Plan, Purchase a smart EV charger through Origin, or Audi E-tron owners.
The EV subscription with salary packaging is obviously not something that will interest existing EV owners, who were the potential audience for this EV plan. The subscription offering starts at $244/week for an MG ZS EV, all the way up to $366 per week for a BMW iX1, at which point saving a few bucks on charging is a complete non-issue.
There is only one electric charger option, that is a Schneider EV Link Wallbox, a massive $2,700 with installation, a significant premium over Tesla’s Gen 3 wall connector which costs A$750 and often around the same for installation, so a total of around A$1,500.
If you do decide to register, you’ll need to specify your vehicle’s make and model. Hilariously, Origin lists the Cybertruck as an option, despite them not even shipping to customers in the US, let alone Australia, which is expected to be years away.
The Origin 360 EV Energy Plan is available for a limited time to customers who:
- Have an active Origin 360 EV Subscription, or an EV Charger installed by Origin
- Have a digital meter at the energy supply address
- Do not receive a feed-in tariff under any government scheme
- Have an energy supply address that complies with electricity standards required by law
For electric vehicle owners, finding the cheapest source of power to recharge helps reduce the total cost of ownership and this plan is likely to get the attention of the growing number of EV owners in Australia.
As someone who needs to choose a new electricity plan next month, I was really hopeful of staying with Origin and joining this plan, but it looks like they’ve bastardised it to the point where it’s not appealing anywhere and I’ll be looking elsewhere.
Origin has today launched a range of new EV customer solutions aimed at getting more EVs on Australian roads by reducing the upfront cost of getting into an EV and providing savings on charging at home.
Origin is committed to helping get more EVs on the road, and to do this we need to make it easier and more affordable for people to get into their first EV, and then support them at all points of their EV journey,
Chau Le, General Manager E-Mobility, Origin.
We know that cost is a major barrier preventing many people from making the switch to EVs, which is why we are providing affordable and flexible alternatives to car ownership, and making it cheaper for customers to charge their vehicles.
Customers who subscribe to the EV subscription plan, will also get access to Origin’s EV Energy Plan which provides eligible customers with five hours of free energy between 10am and 3pm, and off-peak energy rates between 1am and 6am.
The plan will be available exclusively to eligible customers who sign up to the subscription plan, along with customers who purchase a smart EV charger from Origin and to Audi e-tron customers as part of a new partnership between both companies.
The EV Energy Plan is designed to help encourage EV owners to charge their vehicles when energy demand across the National Electricity Market (NEM) is lowest and wholesale energy prices are cheapest, instead of charging during the evening peak when wholesale prices are more expensive.
Other initiatives announced today included:
- Origin is selling Smart EV Chargers that customers can use to help automate the charging of their vehicles to make the most of the EV Energy Plan. Smart chargers can also be plugged into Loop, Origin’s Virtual Power Plant, so customers can enjoy further benefits.
- A partnership with public charging network JOLT where Origin will supply 100% GreenPoweri to match the electricity consumed at JOLT’s network of charging 2 stations. Origin customers who use JOLT’s chargers can opt to pay for the charging on their Origin electricity bill to make it convenient for customers to manage the cost of their charging both at home and on the road.
- A partnership with Audi which will offer Audi e-tron owners with access to the Origin 360 EV Energy Plan with 100% GreenPower for 12 months combined with a special discount on smart EV chargers, to provide Audi EV owners with smarter and cleaner solutions to charge their EVs.
Origin now has a range of solutions to support a wide range of customers in their transition to EVs including small and large business customers, residents in apartment complexes and home owners,” added Ms Le. “We can help people get in their first EV affordably and help them get the most out of it with charging solutions at their home, office or while on the road.
Chau Le, General Manager E-Mobility, Origin.
Over the past two years, Origin 360 EV has helped a range of customers including Healius and Uniting Care NSW to start transitioning their commercial fleets to EVs, while working with a number of body corporates and strata managers to provide charging infrastructure and EV car share services for tenants.
“Transport remains the third highest emitting sector in Australia, and so the electrification of transport will play a critical role in Australia achieving its ambition to decarbonise the economy towards a long-term goal to be net zero by 2050 or sooner,”
The plan, along with its lengthy terms and conditions is available at Origin Energy.
Damn, I was super excited, did seem too good to be true though. What plan are you looking into now? Powershops EV plan?
Yeah good question, I did see Simply Energy had 11c FiT.
We find the Amber Electric plan is excellent for our EV.
Charging for our weekly 300 km commute normally costs between $2 & $7. Charging on Saturday or Sunday when the price /kWh is between 2 & 10 C/cWh.
I’m on Powershop in NSW – $0.09/kWh between 12am and 4am. No questions. Only requirement is a smart meter (and an EV). It’s a no brainer, and also a good time to run other household appliances.
Hi Jason, I just got a message from Origin Energy saying that they are offering this plan to selected customers only without any subscription and the same plan. Did you get a message or call regarding this as well?
Hi Tony, I did indeed, was lucky enough to sign up when I first posted about this plan. They told me they were honoring the plan for those who signed up before they pulled it. I am on the plan now and currently charging my EV on free power.
That’s awesome Jason!! Do you have one or 2 EVs? I’ve got two EVs and am just wondering if there would be any issues like you said in your article.
Have they sent you a bill yet? I’ve been on Origin EV 360 for a good few months now and they still haven’t charged me a cent.
Nope, in the same position.. the app says they’re working on it, but get no data, no bill.