Leading New Zealand energy company launches new EV charging plan

Contact Energy today launches a bold new plan for electric vehicle (EV) owners making good on its promise to deliver outstanding customer value and do right by the planet.

Dream Charge, designed specifically for EV owners, is another iteration of Contact’s “time-of-use” power plans, where more than 35,000 Contact customers already get the benefit of our Goodnights plan with three hours of free power.

“At Contact we are on a mission to build a better Aotearoa New Zealand, by leading the country’s decarbonisation. With an expected jump in sales of EVs to 150,000^{^} a year by the end of the decade, this is the perfect time for us to help our customers embrace electrification” says Matt Bolton, Chief Retail Officer.

Dream Charge enables Contact customers to recharge their EVs at home with cheaper night rates from 11pm to 7am. And for when customers are on the move and out of home, Contact’s Dream charge plan includes AA Smartfuel discounts which can be converted to ChargeNet credits. This gives customers discounts on fuel for EV charging credits keeping them on the move on the go, thanks to Contact’s AA Smartfuel partnership.

“Dream Charge isn’t just about a great value for money, overnight charging plan for our customers,” says Mr Bolton. “It is also about encouraging our EV owners to shift their charging to times where the electricity grid is likely to be the greenest make-up of energy.”

“By making overnight off-peak charging cheaper with Dream Charge, hopefully we can help flatten the electricity peaks where coal and gas-fired plants are brought online to meet demand. So, at the end of the day, we see Dream Charge as being good for our customers and good for the planet.”

Contact made moves towards the time-of-use electricity shifting space with the launch of its Good Nights plan in 2021. Good Nights offers three hours of free power from 9pm to midnight every night. This time of use shifting means customers are able to shift non-essential power use to lower demand times, helping the mix of electricity in the system to be a higher proportion of renewable energy.

“Dream Charge is a great product for our customers to supercharge while they sleep with an affordable electricity deal. In the future we’ll create even more innovative solutions so our customers can be contributing towards a better and greener Aotearoa New Zealand making it good to be home,” says Mr Bolton.

For more information on Dream Charge please visit: https://contact.co.nz/residential/all-plans/dreamcharge

Media enquiries: 
Leah Chamberlin-Gunn 
0212277991