It can take several months to develop a charging routine when your new EV arrives. The easiest way to charge is with an EV charger installed at home so you can charge it whenever you’re parked in the driveway. But what if you don’t have access to a driveway? Then you’ll need to rely on public charging networks which are perfect for EV owners with a novated lease.
The thought of using a public charging network might send shivers down your spine after hearing the horror stories from the early days. Though times have changed. Once it became clear that electric vehicles weren’t going away, governments started building, and funding, charging stations in shopping centres and other key locations. This has improved the public charging experience and created larger, more reliable networks.
Now, there are several types of public chargers. The free ones are good for a top up and most people start with these until they work out their routine. However, they are normally busy with caps on the charging speed and capacity so it will be hard to achieve a full charge. After a few months most EV owners work out a charging routine that involves free top ups when available, and fast charging using a public network to get a full battery.
If you want fast public charging (50kW or more), you will need to pay. How much you pay will vary by supplier, charging speed and location. In 2023 the average cost for a 50kW charging was $0.50 per kilowatt and the faster the charger, the more you pay.
However with a novated lease, your actual cost isn’t $0.50 per kilowatt. The GST is claimed by the provider of novated leasing which reduces the cost to approximately $0.45. Then when you pay with pre-tax contributions, the cost per kilowatt is reduced depending on your income. For someone earning between $45,001 and $120,000 per annum (FY23/24), the cost will reduce to approximately $0.30 per kilowatt which is similar to the price you pay at home.
So while public networks might not be part of your initial EV charging plan, the cost and convenience might work out better than installing an EV charger at home.
