Maybe we don't need to obsess over fast charging network for electric vehicles

Whilst there is a national obsession with on-the-road charging infrastructure, those who already own an electric car are acutely aware that most electric vehicle charging will be done from home. Far from requiring a specialised and confusing charger, many electric car users are able to plug into a regular car socket at home and charge overnight.

Another secret most electric car owners know - your car battery is rarely 'empty' - or 'full'. With many trips to the shops (and especially with restricted movements seen across the state of NSW) just a few kilometres here and there - simply plugging the car back in when you get home is the answer, to 'how to charge your electric vehicle'.

It goes without saying of course, once things return to normal, many looking to make the switch to an electric vehicle will be wondering if a typical car would make their trip to work and back, and what to do when they need to charge a little bit faster than the 2kWh a regular power socket would provide.

One electricity provider, Bright Spark Power, keen to get to the forefront of developing products that meet an emerging consumers needs has released an electric car electricity plan - that solves home charging AND promotes electricity usage during times of the day when there is more 

renewable electricity in the grid.

When you sign up to the company's Aussie Car + Home electricity plan - you also organise the installation of your wall box home charging solution with their team of registered electricians. Bright Spark Power Founder and CEO Arran Coughlan said "we solve the problem of having an electrician show up to quote a job they are not familiar with, don't want to do, or want to charge you the earth for... Our team are trained to install our economical electric car charging solution, work out the best path for cables and wiring from the charger to your meter - whether your meter is 9-floors away from your car space in apartment, or just a few meters in a typical home garage."

With many would-be EV owners researching electric cars as a way to reduce environmental impact - Bright Spark Power say their electricity plan has also been consciously developed with peak renewable generation times in mind. Coughlan says "with the potential environmental benefit that electric vehicles can bring in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced by private vehicles, it was important that we designed an electricity plan that incentivised customers to charge their electric vehicles during periods of the day when renewable energy generation is more readily available (in the grid). This is why our Aussie car and home electricity plan is primarily 'off peak' electricity, with a short peak evening period. When paired with an electric vehicle car charger installation the Aussie car and home electricity plan is specifically designed to only charge your electric vehicle during this off peak usage period".

You will certainly notice the difference in 'fuel costs' when changing from a petrol powered vehicle to an electric vehicle - but this sort of sophisticated residential Time of Use electricity plan is just another economic benefit electric car users can look forward to when they make the switch, with the smart-metered time of use plan applying to all household electricity usage - not just the electric car usage. Coughlan said "To us, it is about taking the stress and complexity out of charging your electric vehicle at home, and doing it in a way that's better for the environment and for your wallet."

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