Electric vehicle complaints

Adoption of EV technology leads to increased complaints

The NSW Government’s EV strategy aims to increase the uptake of EVs to represent more than 50% of new car sales by 2030-31 and most new car sales by 2035. The energy services provided by our electricity networks and energy retailers will play an important role in supporting customers. 

The overall number of EV complaints to EWON is proportional to the low uptake but is increasing over time. Despite the low number of complaints – approximately 20 in the first six months of 2024 – compared to other types of consumer energy resources (like rooftop solar and batteries) we are seeing some themes emerge in relation to retail energy plans, residential EV charging infrastructure, and network connection services. 

EVs and the retail market 

Energy plans  

Some retailers already offer energy plans that provide specific benefits for customers who want to charge their EV at home. Complaints to EWON suggest that some customers have difficulty understanding how the contracts for these tailored EV services work. Some energy contracts may include the installation of EV charging infrastructure, others may require upgrades to metering or the network connection, and some may even involve additional off-market electricity meters just for EV charging. We also receive complaints from customers that are confused or frustrated with the complex eligibility requirements for EV specific energy offers. 

Electricity tariffs 

Tariffs are changing with the rollout of smart meters in NSW. It is increasingly likely that customers who switch to a new plan or upgrade their meter infrastructure to support EV charging will also experience a change in the way they are billed for energy usage. For example, a customer that has always been charged for their electricity usage based on a single flat rate for each kWh used, plus a daily fixed rate, may discover their usage is now billed with different rates based on the time of day or month of the year (time of use), or they now attract a demand charge. These changes are likely to generate complaints to EWON. 

High bill disputes 

High bills are the biggest driver of complaints to EWON. Over the last decade, it has become increasingly common for high bill complaints to include issues relating to the operation of CER technologies such as rooftop solar or batteries. As the uptake of EVs increases, high bills that include EV charging are featuring more prominently in complaints to EWON. 

Residential charging and network connections 

Installing residential EV chargers 

The installation of EV chargers at customers’ homes and problems with connection points can also cause complaints to EWON. The type of housing available to customers can impact how easily they can engage with the energy transition. For customers living in single detached dwellings with off-street parking, installing an EV charger can be straight forward. However, energy customers living in older apartment buildings have complained about the difficulty in getting permission from the strata corporation to install EV charging infrastructure. For apartment buildings set up as embedded networks, this process can be easier – if the embedded network operator is willing to install the infrastructure. However, embedded network customers may also find that this is a separate embedded network service they are required to pay for. 

Network connections 

Consumer complaints about EV charging infrastructure can also be driven by the service provided at the network connection point. This can involve quality issues, such as voltage levels at the connection point impacting the performance of the customer’s EV charger. More commonly it is about poor service from the EV charging infrastructure installer, such as delays completing the required upgrades to the customer’s electrical installation and connection point. 

Case studies

 Customer billed extra each day for EV charging

A customer living in an embedded network asked the embedded network operator to install a power outlet in the basement carpark of his residential building, so he could charge his EV at home. He paid the embedded network operator to do the electrical work and install a new meter in the carpark. The customer complained to EWON because after paying for this infrastructure, he received his electricity bill from the embedded network operator with an additional daily supply charge for the new meter. He said he already paid a daily fee for the supply of electricity in the embedded network and asked for the second daily supply charge to be waived. He was advised by the operator that the additional daily charge could not be removed. 

EWON referred the complaint the retailer’s specialist team to try to resolve directly. EWON invited him to return to EWON for further discussion, if required.  

 Incorrect information on contract

A customer accepted an offer for a new retail energy plan tailored to charging an EV at home. The plan, which he thought included an EV charger, allowed him to charge his EV for free between 10am to 3pm. After receiving the first bill, he noticed that he had not been set up on the energy plan that had been agreed to, and he was not receiving the EV charging benefits that came with his preferred plan.  

The customer complained to the retailer about the mistake. He asked his retailer to install an EV charger at his home so he could benefit from the tailored energy plan but was unable to resolve his complaints. 

EWON referred the complaint to the retailer’s specialist team to try to resolve directly. However, the customer returned to EWON after failing to reach an agreement with the retailer. We contacted the energy retailer and asked for more information about the energy plan that was offered to the customer and his request for an EV charger to be installed at his home.  

The retailer said there was a misunderstanding at the time the customer signed up to the EV charging plan. The customer was not told that only customers who lease an EV through the retailer’s subscription service, or customers that already have an EV charger installed at home, were eligible for the EV charging energy plan. Due to the error when signing up, the customer was approved for the EV charging plan despite being ineligible.  

The retailer said it could not install an EV charger at his home free of charge, however it confirmed he was receiving free energy to charge his vehicle between 10am and 3pm each day. The retailer offered a $200 customer service gesture in recognition of the customer’s experience. EWON confirmed that he accepted this outcome as a resolution to the complaint.