While slowly growing in popularity, EVs are still a hard sell in Australia. We don’t have the most robust public charging network and thanks to things like Luxury Car Tax, they can be expensive. It’s a big commitment, especially when we’re a country of petrol heads. So AGL Energy is trying to offer an alternative solution – an EV Subscription service.
EV Subscription Service
This is exactly what it sounds like, a subscription service when you can essentially loan an EV long-term. The cost per week is dependent on what model you go for. At the moment there are only four EVs on offer:
- Nissan Leaf – $299 a week
- Hyundai IONIQ – $299 a week
- Hyundai Kona – $359 a week
- Tesla Model 3 – $599 a week
Here’s what each subscription comes with, regardless of the model:
- A late model electric car with low mileage
- Comprehensive car insurance with $2000 excess
- 24/7 roadside assistance
- Standard maintenance on the car, its battery and charger (including tyres, windscreen and wipers)
- Installation of a charger at your home
- Free electric vehicle changes every six months, based on product availability
- Us managing your charging
- Climate Active certified carbon neutral electricity offsets
The shortest subscription time is a month, however, if you opt for anything under six months you’ll be charged extra. Here’s why.
What about the charger?
Each subscription comes with a charger for your home. This is quite cool, but also where you’ll see some more costs creep in. The initial installation fee is $800, plus a $150 service fee if you keep the car for less than 6 months. And if any structural or groundwork needs to take place to install it, that could cost more again.
As for availability, you need to live within 50km of a major CBD and have off street parking.
So while this is a great initiative, it’s not cheap and comes with quite a few caveats. But if you can afford an EV in the first place it might be a good way to see if one suits your lifestyle for actually buying one.