Review: Is Origin's EV Power Up Program Worth It?

After months of resisting the temptation to join the Origin EV Power Up program, we finally decided to give it a try. The main attraction was the offer of EV charging at just 8c/kWh. Normally, we charge from our solar system, and any excess we sell back to the grid earns us 12c/kWh (uncapped). On paper, the program seemed financially worthwhile, but after 5 weeks of use, the reality has been a little different.

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How the Program Works

We are on a Time of Use (TOU) tariff. During the day while the sun is shining, we pay the Shoulder rate of 33.363c/kWh.

With the Power Up program:

• Origin controls charging through the Tesla API when the car is at home.
• Users simply set the desired completion time in the Origin app.
• Origin then starts and stops charging to best suit grid demand.
• All energy is charged as usual, but at the end of each month the difference between our rate and 8c/kWh is credited to the next bill.

There are also safeguards:

• Users are notified if charging won’t be completed in time.
• Charging can be overridden at any point, but you lose the program benefit for those sessions.

Our Real-World Experience

Charging Credits

When charging under the program during the day, we should receive the difference between our rate (33.363c) and 8c, meaning a credit of 25.363c/kWh. However, this only applies to energy drawn from the grid. Since we charge mostly from solar, our grid usage is minimal.

Last month, we charged the car with 325.3kWh.

• Of that, only 5.9kWh was from the grid.
• Strangely, Origin calculated 15.3kWh of grid use (even though our whole house used only 15.6kWh for the entire month).

As a result, we received a credit of $3.90.

The discrepancy seems odd, but since it worked in our favour, it’s not really an issue.

Cost Comparison and Financial Impact

If we had charged entirely from the grid at night:

• We would have paid $26.02 for 325.3kWh.

If we had exported the same amount of solar to the grid instead:

• We would have earned $39.03.

That’s an extra $13.01 compared to grid charging.

However, our system has a grid export limit of 10kW with 28.8kW of solar installed. This means much of the extra solar would have gone to waste anyway.

So, while the Power Up program provides the option to use cheaper (though often dirtier) grid power, in our case the financial benefit isn’t significant.

Who is This Program Best For?

For us, it’s a useful backup as we can charge at 8c/kWh if needed. But our primary strategy remains charging the EV with solar that cannot be exported, usually around midday.

That said, this program could be very beneficial for many Tesla owners who:

• Don’t have large solar systems.
• Don’t receive a high feed-in tariff.
• Regularly need to charge from the grid.

Final Thoughts

There are already several competitive EV charging plan offers in Australia such as 8c/kWh from midnight to 6am, or even free power for a few hours at midday. The Origin EV Power Up program stands out because it’s flexible and less restrictive, especially for Tesla owners.

In essence, it makes EV charging around 15 times cheaper than petrol. While not the best fit for us, more options in the market mean more drivers can find a plan that suits their needs.