If you’re buying a new electric vehicle, chances are you’ll take the opportunity to reconsider which insurance provider you go with. If you happen to select RACV (Victoria), RACQ (Queensland), RACT (ACT), or NRMA (NSW), then you’re in for a treat.
These providers have partnered with one of Australia’s largest fast-charging networks, Chargefox, who recently opened their 19th location. That partnership is often shown with dual-branded recharging stations, but the good news is, you can get 20% off charging sessions.
We already know the cost of recharging Electric Vehicles is dramatically less than refueling a car, but an additional 20% is always welcome.
When buying my Tesla Model 3 last September, I hunted for the best deal on Insurance and found my way to RACV, due to their low rates. Since I got my electric car, I’ve spent a total of $182.12 on charging, all at Chargefox locations on road trips. Had I known about this deal, I could have saved $36.42.
Getting the discount is not limited to a number of charging sessions, as long as you’re a member you get the cheaper rate. With the standard Chargefox rate being A$0.40 per kWh, which means a 20% discount drops this to just A$0.32 per kWh.
By comparison, charging at Tesla’s Superchargers will cost you A$0.52 per kWh after a price rise back in October. I’ve been incredibly fortunate that 66 people have now used my referral link to buy their Tesla which means I have free Supercharging for at least the next 3 years.
For most people who don’t have this, I imagine a difference of 20c per kWh could definitely be enough to choose Chargefox over Tesla. Whether this discount is enough to make their insurance product make sense for you is a calculation you’ll have to make. For those that plan on a lot of driving (Covid-permitting), then it may well be enough to lure you over.
The process of getting the discount take just seconds. Open the Charefox app on your phone, in the Menu, select My profile, then under the ‘Member programs’ heading, tap the Add Program button. Enter your member number and your done, it couldn’t be easier.
Ultra-rapid chargers are the fastest chargers in the world today with a charging capacity of 350kW. While there’s not currently an EV that can charge that rate, they will provide the fastest charge possible that your car will accept. Typically stops are between 20-40 minutes, and give you between 200-400km of extra range.
I just tried to enter my RACQ membership number in my profile in the Chargefox app and found that the app only accepted 10 digits whereas the RACQ membership number is 16 digits. I have sent an e-mail to Chargefox asking if there is a problem with their app.
Excellent, exactly what I would recommend.
Jim from Chargefox replied and advised to just enter the first 8 digits of the 16 digit RACQ membership number in the app. That worked well so problem solved.