Governments and energy providers are taking various measures to support the increasing energy demand from electric vehicles (EVs) and ensure that the widespread transition is sustainable and doesn’t cause disruptions to the grid. AEMO’s Integrated System Plan is an example of the forward vision out to 2050 in this space.
Consumer behaviour studies and analysis of energy usage data highlight that most EV owners in Australia today charge at home with solar or during off-peak times, leading to minimal impact on the grid, and in many cases supporting the grid to use excess solar during the day, and spare network capacity at night. Read more about charging behaviours here.
Energy retailers are increasingly offering retail time-of-use products specifically aimed at rewarding EV drivers with very low prices for choosing to charge in the middle of the day or the middle of the night – at time of writing, AGL, Origin, and Simply Energy have some excellent offers of this type, available in most of the country.
To learn more on energy policy as it relates to EVs, and the state of public charging infrastructure, see our latest ‘State of EVs’ report.