Public electric vehicle charging giant Chargefox will test an “idle charge” for drivers who block the charger with their fully charged vehicle.
The trial will begin in July at select toll stations in Western Australia and will include new signage and stickers at the test sites, along with new push notifications in the Chargefox app for owners to alert them when the charges will start.
There will be a “grace period” allowing owners to return their fully charged cars before the idle charge before the minute begins.
“We will continue to measure the effectiveness of interventions in terms of how they change driver behavior and benefit the broader EV driving community,” Chargefox said on its website. me.
The company says the charges are designed to incentivize “owners to release charging stations once their vehicles are fully charged”, in order to increase “revenue rates at charging stations”.
“By reducing idle time, idle charges create a smoother charging experience and reduce the potential for frustration or inconvenience caused by occupied charging stations,” says Chargefox.
Proceeds from idle fees can also be “reinvested in the expansion of the charging infrastructure, the installation of new stations, and the improvement of the overall charging system”.
New fees for idle vehicles, combined with multiple price increases for some fast chargers in New South Wales and Victoria, are making electric car owners in Australia more expensive to use. using the Chargefox network.
The price of DC 50kW charging at 20 Chargefox stations in Victoria and New South Wales increased from $0.40 per kWh to $0.45 per kWh in March this year.
Based on updated pricecharging cost one Tesla Model WILL with a 95kWh (usable) lithium-ion battery pack from 0 to 100% using one of the more expensive Chargefox stations went from $38 to $42.75.
This price increase shows that these Chargefox 50kW DC chargers are suitable for certain Evie chargers in urban areas, with the rival network also charging $0.45 per kWh for a 50kW charge.
Prices for all 350 kW super-fast charging stations currently remain unchanged at US$0.6 per kWh and Australian motor club members (with now fully owns Chargefox) are still discounted starting at 20 percent.
