Chargefox, a leading electric vehicle charging network in Australia, has implemented a software fix to prevent billing errors after a glitch led to a customer being mistakenly charged $2,000. The incident occurred last month when an electric vehicle driver in Canberra shared their experience on the Facebook group ‘Tesla Model 3 & Y Australia’. According to the post, they were debited $2,045.50 on September 23, 2024, after a brief 20-minute charging session at the RG Casey building, the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) near Parliament House.
The charging station involved has a maximum output of 22 kilowatts (kW). Despite this limit, the invoice suggested that 6.82 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity were consumed—enough to fully charge around 114 Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive vehicles. Given the 22kW limit, reaching 6.82 MWh would have required approximately 310 hours (or about 13 days) of continuous charging. In reality, a 20-minute charge at this capacity should have added just 7.3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to the vehicle’s battery, costing roughly $2.19 at a rate of 30 cents per kWh on an AC public charger.
Chargefox CEO John Sullivan responded quickly, ensuring the customer was reimbursed through a direct bank transfer as soon as the issue came to light on September 23, 2024. This approach was chosen over a standard credit card refund, which would have taken five to ten business days to process.
Following the incident, the owner of the affected charger at the DFAT headquarters disconnected it from the Chargefox network. Chargefox’s technical team investigated the problem, implemented a software fix, and brought the charger back online. The company also updated all its charging stations across Australia to flag and hold certain payments for review if they seem unusually high, adding a layer of protection for users.
The company emphasises that this billing issue was an isolated incident and that its network—spanning nearly 2,000 public charging stations across 700 locations in Australia—has not encountered similar problems before. Chargefox, which is managed by Australian Motoring Services (a subsidiary of automobile clubs including NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAA, RAC, and RACT), remains committed to providing reliable charging services. Other players in the Australian EV charging market include Ampol AmpCharge, BP Pulse, Evie Networks, Jolt, and Tesla Supercharger.
For the latest retailer news and information, check out the ServoPro website or to speak to us about how we can help your business contact us.