Volkswagen Australia and Ampol have reached a milestone agreement that will see Volkswagen Australia electric vehicle (EV) customers gain access to Ampol’s AmpCharge home EV charging offer and discounts at its public EV charging stations nationally.
The agreement with Australia’s “largest” supplier of transport fuels, which is transitioning to become a key provider of EV charging infrastructure, will further enable Volkswagen customers to leverage the benefits of Ampol’s growing public EV charging network as well as its Australian-made home EV charger and installation package.
Volkswagen ID. customers will receive discounted Ampol public EV charging rates for the first 12 months of ownership, with rates to be determined closer to the ID. electric vehicle range launch. Australia’s biggest European auto brand will also share dealer and customer insights to inform key locations in Ampol’s fast-charging rollout.
Volkswagen has more than 100 dealerships nationally, all of which are currently being prepared to sell and service the brand’s battery electric vehicle rollout that begins in 2024 with the ID.4, ID.4 GTX, ID.5, ID.5 GTX, ID. Buzz and ID. Buzz Cargo. Each dealership will complement Ampol’s public charging network with charging available for customers.
In an “industry first”, Volkswagen and Ampol will allow customers to colour-code their AmpCharge home charger to their ID. vehicle, provided with a nationwide installation service and five-year warranty. Customers will be able to use an augmented reality (AR) tool accessed via their smartphone camera to ‘scan’ their garage or carport for suitable locations. The app can advise them if the location is suitable or not in real time, before an installer arrives.
Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles Director Michal Szaniecki says the agreement is “absolutely crucial to Volkswagen’s stated intention for its Australian EV sales to surpass those of conventional vehicles by 2028”.
“Two giants of personal mobility are helping more Australians transition to lower emissions vehicle ownership more quickly, making seamless their transition to e-mobility,” Mr Szaniecki said, who last year drove an ID. 4 some 2500km to visit east coast dealerships.
“Eighty per cent of charging in urban areas will be done at home, while we are supporting the growing Ampol network on the open road, so this association literally empowers our customers wherever they live around this great country.”
Ampol Executive General Manager, Commercial Fuels and Energy Brent Merrick says: “We’re proud to partner with Volkswagen Australia and excited to work alongside them to provide charging infrastructure for the rollout of their EV range of vehicles.
“This collaboration with Volkswagen Australia represents another step forward in our continuing e-mobility strategy which is designed to provide a diverse and comprehensive charging network to power customer journeys in the home, forecourt or locations where they need to charge.”
Volkswagen will announce the rates for Ampol public vehicle charging, ahead of the ID. range rollout commencing from July/August 2024.
