Origin EV Power Up

[Zigman]

Just activated Origin's "EV Power Up" Beta / trial tonight.
Now on 8c/kWh by allowing Origin to control when the car is charged (sort of).
Connection to car controlled/managed by enode.com (Enode: One integration, connect to 800+ energy devices)
Interesting times ahead.
Anyone else on board?

Quote from Origin email ...

​

​ ​ Here's a quick recap of all the good stuff that's coming your way​

​ ​ A super low 8c/kWh electricity rate for your EV - getting you a $5 full charge* # Full flexibility over your charge - just plug your EV in, set the time you'd like your car charged by in the app and we'll take care of the rest Complete control over your charge with a schedule override button, Instant Charge, delivering instant charge to your EV when you need it Day or night charging for less means we may charge during the day when more renewables are in the grid for the same great rate - costing the environment less and saving you more

 

[Davemcd]

With all of these do your sums and work out which works for your lifestyle.
I am with OVO 8 cents overnight and 3 hours free which is for everything.

 

[Zigman]

Fair points indeed.

You also need to factor in your 'Daily Supply' charge, 'General Usage' tariff and if you have a second smart meter, 'Controlled Load' tariff. Not overly difficult to work out your best case scenario ... although Excel is your friend.

I haven't seen the first bill yet to confirm, but it seems Origin are not changing the tariff to 8c/kWh, but rather giving me a credit for the difference between the rate they normally charge (for me 22c/kWh) and the 8c/kWh when charging the car.

Your OVO plan seems good and one worth looking at.

I think we are in interesting times. More and more EVs are coming online and the electricity retailers have realized this is a new competative market they can tap into and are throwing carrots at us to win our business.

 

[Max Spaghetti]

I think we are in interesting times. More and more EVs are coming online and the electricity retailers have realized this is a new competative market they can tap into and are throwing carrots at us to win our business.

Yes, I'm fascinated by the concept that for years the wholesalers have effectively been trying to get rid of "controlled load" off-peak, and now suddenly charging a car after midnight is the latest craze to burn up all that base-load coal. Umm, we already thought of that with hot water services about 80 years ago...

 

[Davemcd]

I also think it lifestyle.. The Origin plan you can charge whenever you want to.
If you have a smart meter you can normally down load 2 years worth put it in a spreadsheet and do your sums

It all depends where you are with prices.
Jemena Vic
Origin is either
89.23 a day, 25.37cents/kw flat and 4.9cents FIT
or 114.39 a day, 32.52cents/kw and 12 cents FIT
OVO is 107.25 a day, 8 cents midnight-6am free 11am-2pm when Solar at highest anyway then 28.89cents/kw all other times and 8 cents FIT
About 25% of my usage before EV was standby between midnight to 6am as I have solar.
Pricing on OVO changed since I signed up it is now lower daily price 75.90 although peak now 32.45c/kw

 

[cafz]

Yes, I'm fascinated by the concept that for years the wholesalers have effectively been trying to get rid of "controlled load" off-peak, and now suddenly charging a car after midnight is the latest craze to burn up all that base-load coal. Umm, we already thought of that with hot water services about 80 years ago...

It's not about generation profiles anymore.

It's now about peak use of the local distribution infrastructure - the transformers at the zone and distribution substations, and the HV feeders. So it's not so much about encouraging use overnight, as it is about discouraging use in peak consumption times (almost everywhere in Australia that means the early evening) - and to some extent, encouraging use when there's a large surplus of rooftop solar generation on those distribution networks.

 

[Max Spaghetti]

So it's not so much about encouraging use overnight, as it is about discouraging use in peak consumption times (almost everywhere in Australia that means the early evening)

Interesting.

So telling everyone to get rid of their gas heaters and gas cooktops and install electric instead is not going to go well. (What do we do when we get home in the evening? Turn on the heater and the stove). I know - that push is not coming from those in charge of the grid - it's coming from other people.

But yes, telling my car not to charge until midnight makes very good sense in that context.

However, they also want us to get rid of our off-peak HWS (or gas HWS) and install a heat pump instead - which will operate any time day/night including the evening peak. It would be smarter if these had some kind of timer-based incentive to not do that. I just had a look online and I note that some newer models do have timers, my older one doesn't - it would be nice to be able to tell it to also turn on at midnight. Perhaps I could get a sparkie to install a timer on the circuit. Actually, I used to have one - it was called controlled load. It's still there, I'm just not allowed to use it on my heat pump. I feel like I'm going around in circles now... hehe

 

[cafz]

just had a look online and I note that some newer models do have timers, my older one doesn't - it would be nice to be able to tell it to also turn on at midnight. Perhaps I could get a sparkie to install a timer on the circuit. Actually, I used to have one - it was called controlled load. It's still there, I'm just not allowed to use it on my heat pump. I feel like I'm going around in circles now... hehe

Yes, the better models of HPHWS have built in timers.

You can indeed get an electrician to install simple time switch on your hot water system, and the difference between time-of-use off-peak rates and controlled load rates is generally pretty minimal, so it'll have the same effect. Plus that way you can set the timer how you like - for example, if you have solar, including the middle of the day.

 

[Max Spaghetti]

the difference between time-of-use off-peak rates and controlled load rates is generally pretty minimal

I don't have time-off-use, but I do have an 8c AGL EV-plan.

It's quite bizarre, really.

My controlled load is 20c (11pm-7am - ish), and my EV-plan is 8c (12pm-6am).

I was originally planning to get my Wall Connector connected to my now-unused controlled load (legal in Vic). But I'm glad I waited - no need now. I don't know how long these super-off-peak EV plans will last though. My Wall Connector is still sitting in its box waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

 

[cafz]

My controlled load is 20c (11pm-7am - ish), and my EV-plan is 8c (12pm-6am).

I was originally planning to get my Wall Connector connected to my now-unused controlled load (legal in Vic). But I'm glad I waited - no need now. I don't know how long these super-off-peak EV plans will last though. My Wall Connector is still sitting in its box waiting for me to decide what to do with it.

(I assume you mean 12am (midnight) not pm!)

Why not get the wall connector installed on a standard circuit?

 

[Max Spaghetti]

(I assume you mean 12am (midnight) not pm!)

Indeed I do, sorry. In my industry we use 24hr time. I get a bit beyond my depth reverting to this am/pm stuff.

Why not get the wall connector installed on a standard circuit?

Now that I have this super-off-peak EV plan, that will be the way we go. These EV plans weren't a thing when I first bought the wall connector and started talking to sparkies about putting it on controlled load. (Well, if they were, I hadn't heard about them).

There was first the question of "is it legal to do so" (the answer turned out to be yes), and then it was "how many amps are we allowed to draw on controlled load" (to which the conjecture was 20A, but wasn't resolved officially). I then procrastinated about exactly where I wanted it and how I wanted the wires routed. I'm glad I did because now I can put it on a standard circuit and maybe get 32A.

I'm also researching solar and battery, which could end up changing where wires are routed.

I've been charging quite happily with a UMC on a 15A GPO so far, so there wasn't a rush to install the wall connector. But now I'm actually going to install 2 wall connectors with power sharing, to keep our driveway/carports flexible with 1 EV and 2 ICE's. Hopefully one day one of those ICE's will also become an EV.

 

[kmsyd777]

A quick question - the extra charging cable that we may have to buy to charge at public charge points - does it need to be single phase or 3 phase? Thanks in advance

 

[Davemcd]

A quick question - the extra charging cable that we may have to buy to charge at public charge points - does it need to be single phase or 3 phase? Thanks in advance

3 Phase 22kw cable even though the M3/MY can only do 11kw max as limited to 16amp on 3 phase.
Also buy a better cable not the cheapest you can find.

Early in the morning for maths although easiest way I remember how.
Single phase does max 240*32amp = 7.68kw.. So does not care either cable be the same.

Although at three phase sites it is 240*16amp = 3.84kw per phase
So on a single phase cable you only get 3.84kw
On a three phase cable you times by 3 so 11.54kw max

You find a few places 3 phase around so best to spend a little more now on a cable.

 

[cafz]

3 Phase 22kw cable even though the M3/MY can only do 11kw max as limited to 16amp on 3 phase.
Also buy a better cable not the cheapest you can find.

The easy option is to get the one from the Tesla online store - that's a good quality (Mennekes brand) 22kW 3-phase cable of decent length and the price isn't bad.

(That's assuming you have decided you definitely need a Type 2 cable - it's quite possible you will not.)

 

[Peter Flodin]

Fair points indeed.

You also need to factor in your 'Daily Supply' charge, 'General Usage' tariff and if you have a second smart meter, 'Controlled Load' tariff. Not overly difficult to work out your best case scenario ... although Excel is your friend.

I haven't seen the first bill yet to confirm, but it seems Origin are not changing the tariff to 8c/kWh, but rather giving me a credit for the difference between the rate they normally charge (for me 22c/kWh) and the 8c/kWh when charging the car.

Your OVO plan seems good and one worth looking at.

I think we are in interesting times. More and more EVs are coming online and the electricity retailers have realized this is a new competative market they can tap into and are throwing carrots at us to win our business.

Have you figured out what happens if you have solar? Lets say FIT is 10c and usage rate is 32c - if there is no solar they should credit you 24c/kWh, to give you 8c. But what happens if 100% is covered by Solar? you forfeit 10c/kWh FIT. But do they still credit you the 24c/kWh?

 

[gazza]

I am on the Origin 360 EV plan already (free electricity from 10am to 3pm everyday), so was interested to see what would happen between these hours (whether it continued to be free or if I got charged 8c). Happy to report that so far it has only ever charged between 10am and 3pm and has been no cost.

 

[QFB787]

I am on the Origin 360 EV plan already (free electricity from 10am to 3pm everyday)

That's a different plan to the EV Power Up, Power Up just gives you a credit for every Kwh charged at your normal electricity rate at that time minus 8c except during peak times. The 360 plan is better

Have you figured out what happens if you have solar? Lets say FIT is 10c and usage rate is 32c - if there is no solar they should credit you 24c/kWh, to give you 8c. But what happens if 100% is covered by Solar? you forfeit 10c/kWh FIT. But do they still credit you the 24c/kWh?

It seems to vary day by day, yesterday I charged almost 100% off solar 13kwh in total and got a credit for 11.61 kwh ($3.58), so that's better than my feed in would have beenat 16c/kwh ($1.85 for 11.61kwh). Other days the credit seems to be only what the grid draw is in which case you can be worse off. I think the calculations are being manually done at the moment. It does say in the plan that the credit is only from the grid draw.

 

[gazza]

That's a different plan to the EV Power Up, Power Up just gives you a credit for every Kwh charged at your normal electricity rate at that time minus 8c except during peak times. The 360 plan is better

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I was already on the 360 plan, and have also joined the the EV Power Up beta trial.