AusNet trial paying participants to charge EVs

AusNet will pay customers when they alter their electric vehicle (EV) charging behaviour, with the long-term aim of keeping infrastructure costs down.

AusNet is encouraging retailers to offer the tariff and is encouraging retailers to offer it to customers. By signing up to it, customers will be paid to charge their EV between 10 am and 3 pm. They will also receive a separate SMS that asks them to either start or stop charging, to access an additional rebate.

Liz Ryan, Executive General Manager Strategy, Regulation & Corporate Affairs, said that by providing customers with an incentive to change EV charging behaviour, AusNet may be able to better balance demands on the network, potentially reducing overall network costs paid by all consumers.

Customers participating in the trial will receive a rebate when they respond to SMS requests to change their charging behaviour. This will help AusNet manage high excess solar capacity in the network or when there is high electricity demand.

“The aim of this trial is to see if EV customers respond to network pricing signals and to get a better understanding of customers’ charging patterns. From this, we hope to gain the knowledge to better manage potential network issues which may arise as the take-up of electric vehicles increases,” Ryan said.

Electric vehicle sales worldwide have increased more than 50% in the last year, and they make up a total of 14% of all new cars sold in the world. In Australia, around 4% of new cars purchased are electric.

The trial will run until June 2026.

“Learnings from the trial will help inform the development and design of tariffs to complement the adoption of electric vehicles and other emerging technologies,” Ryan said.

Image credit: iStock.com/Marcus Lindstrom