Australia’s largest electric vehicle (EV) public charging network, Chargefox, has increased the pricing of certain 50kW fast-charging DC stations by over 12 per cent.
This latest development follows the company upping the pricing of its fastest 350kW DC charging stations by 50 per cent in May last year.
From March 15, the pricing for 20 of Chargefox’s 50kW DC charging stations in Victoria and New South Wales has gone up from $0.40 per kWh to $0.45 per kWh.
The affected locations in Victoria includes Euroa, Barnawartha, Airport West, Torquay, Moe, Horsham, and Ballarat. The affected locations in New South Wales on the other hand includes Ballina, Karuah, Gundagai, Goulburn, Cooma, Zetland, and Sydney.
Based on the updated price, the cost of charging a Tesla Model S with its 95kWh (usable) lithium-ion battery pack from 0 to 100 per cent using one of the affected 50kW Chargefox stations has risen from $38 to $42.75. This equates to a 12.5 per cent increase.
This price rise sees these Chargefox 50kW DC chargers match certain Evie chargers in urban areas, with the rival network also charging $0.45 per kWh for 50kW charging.
It’s worth noting that despite the price rise, a number of the affected chargers are unable to use at the time of publish because they have either faulted or are awaiting parts to be repaired.
One of the 50kW DC fast chargers in Euroa, Victoria in particular has had parts for a repair ordered and was estimated to be fixed by February 22. It has now been more than three weeks beyond that last estimated repair date.
“Over recent months the cost of electricity has increased and as a result we have been forced to increase prices at select Chargefox owned and operated 50kWh fast-charging stations,” said the company in an email to customers.
Pricing for all 350kW ultra-rapid charging stations remains unchanged at $0.60 per kWh for now, and members of Australian motor clubs (all of which now wholly own Chargefox) still receive discounts starting at 20 per cent.
Buyers of some new electric cars are offered free charging as part of a manufacturer deal; those deals remain in place despite the price rise.
Chargefox has announced it’ll add another 4000 plugs to its network by the end of 2025, of which 2000 will offer 50kW or 350kW ultra-rapid charging speeds. This is in addition to the current 3200 public and private plugs it has.
Competition is heating up though as Tesla Australia recently opened up five Supercharger locations in New South Wales to all EV owners.
According to shots of the Tesla app posted on Twitter by Ludicrous Feed, it’ll cost non-Tesla owners $0.79 per kWh to charge using a Supercharger – or $0.66 per kWh if you pay $9.99 per month for a ‘membership’ to the network.
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