Charge Your Car, Slash Your Shop: When Lisa Martinez pulled her Tesla Model 3 into a Chargefox station outside Woolworths in Brisbane last month, she wasn’t just topping up her battery – she was slashing her grocery bill.
“I saved nearly $47 on my weekly shop while my car charged,” she explains. “It’s like getting paid to charge your car.”
Martinez is one of thousands of electric vehicle owners benefiting from Chargefox’s innovative partnership with major supermarket chains – a collaboration that’s redefining the economics of EV ownership across Australia and New Zealand.
The Power Play: How Chargefox Reinvented the Charging Experience
Chargefox, Australia’s largest electric vehicle charging network, has long been at the forefront of EV infrastructure innovation. Founded in 2018, the company began with a vision to make electric travel accessible nationwide.
What started as a handful of stations has blossomed into over 1,300 charging plugs across 500+ locations, forming the backbone of Australia’s EV infrastructure.
But in late 2024, Chargefox unveiled what industry analysts are calling their masterstroke – the “Shop & Charge” program, offering substantial grocery discounts to customers charging their vehicles.
The concept is elegantly simple: charge your electric vehicle at a Chargefox station near participating supermarkets, and earn discounts proportional to your charging time and spend.
“We wanted to solve two pain points simultaneously,” explains Darren Walker, Chargefox’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“First, the perceived inconvenience of waiting while your vehicle charges, and second, the ongoing conversation around EV charging costs. By partnering with supermarkets, we’ve transformed charging time into saving time.”
The economics make compelling sense. The average EV takes between 30 minutes to an hour on a fast charger – precisely the time needed for a typical grocery run.
Rather than sitting idly in their cars or finding ways to kill time, drivers can now productively use this period to complete necessary shopping while earning substantial discounts.
The Mechanics: Turning Kilowatts into Dollars Off
The program operates through Chargefox’s already popular smartphone app, which has been enhanced with new loyalty features.
Upon plugging in at a participating location, the app generates a unique QR code that customers scan at the supermarket checkout. The system calculates discounts based on a combination of charging duration, energy consumed, and grocery spend.
The baseline offer – a 10% discount on groceries while charging – increases to 15% during off-peak hours (typically 10 AM to 2 PM weekdays), incentivizing charger use during periods of lower demand. Loyalty tiers add another dimension, with regular users unlocking enhanced benefits after accumulating charging sessions.
“The brilliant element is the redemption rate,” notes Maria Thompson, retail analyst at Deloitte. “Unlike traditional loyalty programs with low engagement, the Shop & Charge program boasts over 78% redemption because it aligns perfectly with consumer behavior.
People need groceries, and EV owners need to charge – combining these necessities creates powerful behavioral economics.”
Participating chains include Woolworths, Coles, and IGA in Australia, with New Zealand’s Countdown and Pak’nSave joining the program in March 2025. Each chain offers slightly different perks, creating healthy competition within the program itself.
Beyond Discounts: The Expanding Ecosystem
While grocery discounts form the cornerstone of the program, Chargefox has constructed an entire ecosystem around the charging experience. Partnerships with coffee chains mean that drivers can order ahead on the app and have beverages waiting when they arrive to charge.
A recent addition includes pharmacy discounts, with participating chemists offering health and beauty specials for EV owners.
Loyalty members reaching “Platinum” status unlock additional benefits, including reserved charging slots during peak periods, doubled grocery discounts during birthday months, and exclusive offers from premium brands partnering with the network.
“We’re building the airline frequent flyer model for everyday transportation,” says Walker. “Just as airlines transformed flying with tiered benefits and partner offers, we’re applying that psychology to the daily commute and essential shopping.”
The data suggests the strategy is working. Since the program’s launch, Chargefox has reported a 47% increase in network utilization and a 32% spike in new app registrations. More impressively, the average charging session duration has increased by 18 minutes, indicating that drivers are deliberately extending their charging time to complete shopping.
The Retail Revolution: Why Supermarkets Are Plugging In
From the supermarkets’ perspective, the program delivers a coveted demographic directly to their doors. EV owners typically represent higher-income households with above-average grocery spending patterns.
Internal data from participating chains shows that the average “Shop & Charge” basket is 23% larger than the standard shopper’s.
“These are dream customers for any retailer,” explains Thompson. “They’re time-conscious, tech-savvy consumers with disposable income.
The program delivers them directly to stores during specific time windows, allowing for precise staffing and inventory management.”
Woolworths, the first major chain to partner with Chargefox, has redesigned several locations to optimize the experience. Dedicated parking areas feature prominently near store entrances, with digital displays showing charging status visible from inside the store.
Some flagship locations have introduced premium shopping services, including personal shoppers who can assist in selecting groceries while customers monitor their vehicle’s charging progress.
“It’s about creating an environment where charging feels like a benefit, not a burden,” says Emma Chen, Woolworths’ Director of Customer Experience.
“Our research showed that EV owners previously viewed charging as ‘dead time’ in their day. We’ve transformed that perception entirely.”
The partnership also addresses the chicken-and-egg dilemma that has plagued EV infrastructure development. Retailers have hesitated to invest in charging infrastructure without guaranteed customer traffic, while charging networks needed prime retail locations to attract users.
The revenue-sharing model between Chargefox and supermarkets neatly resolves this tension, creating mutual benefit.
The Customer Experience: Beyond the Discount
For EV owners, the program offers benefits beyond mere financial savings. Brisbane resident James Kennedy, who drives a Hyundai Ioniq, describes the psychological shift: “Previously, I’d put off charging until absolutely necessary because it felt like wasted time.
Now, I actually look forward to it – I coordinate my weekly shop with a charging session and come out ahead both time-wise and financially.”
The program particularly benefits apartment dwellers and those without home charging capabilities. Sydney resident Priya Sharma explains: “Living in an apartment building without charging facilities was a major barrier to getting an EV.
The Shop & Charge program means I can combine weekly shopping with guaranteed charging access, making electric vehicle ownership practical for my situation.”
Users repeatedly mention the seamless integration between necessity and convenience as the program’s key strength. Michael Richards, who regularly uses the service in Melbourne, notes: “It’s transformed my routine. Thursday evening is now charging and shopping night.
My car’s topped up, my fridge is stocked, and I’ve saved money in the process. It feels like gaming the system somehow.”
The app experience receives particular praise, with users appreciating features like real-time notifications when charging is complete, personalized offers based on shopping history, and the ability to pre-book charging slots during busy periods.
The Economic Impact: Changing the EV Equation
Beyond individual consumer benefits, the program is having measurable effects on Australia’s broader EV adoption landscape. A recent survey by the Electric Vehicle Council found that access to convenient charging ranked second only to vehicle price as a barrier to EV adoption.
By addressing this friction point, Chargefox is effectively accelerating the transition to electric mobility.
“What’s fascinating is how this program shifts the cost calculation for potential EV buyers,” observes Dr. Andrew Matthews, energy economist at the University of Melbourne.
“Previously, consumers compared fuel costs versus electricity costs fairly directly. Now, they’re factoring in grocery savings of potentially thousands of dollars annually, which materially changes the economic proposition of EV ownership.”
Early data suggests these economic benefits are not merely theoretical. Program participants report average grocery savings of $34 per charging session, which translates to approximately $1,768 annually for a typical user charging once per week.
For families with larger grocery bills or those charging more frequently, the savings can exceed $3,000 per year – effectively offsetting much of the annual energy cost of EV ownership.
Fleet operators have taken notice too. Several corporate fleets have enrolled in business versions of the program, allowing employees to charge company vehicles while shopping for office supplies or catering, with discounts flowing back to the business.
The Environmental Dimension: Greening the Grid
While consumer savings drive headlines, the environmental benefits of the program show equal promise.
By incentivizing charging during off-peak hours, Chargefox is helping to balance grid demand and integrate more renewable energy into the charging equation.
“The time-based discount structure is deliberately aligned with solar generation patterns,” explains Dr. Jessica Liu, Chargefox’s Head of Sustainability.
“Higher discounts during midday hours encourage charging when the grid typically has abundant solar energy, reducing the carbon intensity of each charging session.”
This alignment between charging patterns and renewable generation addresses a common criticism of electric vehicles – that they simply shift emissions from tailpipes to power plants.
By incentivizing charging during periods of high renewable generation, the program helps ensure that EVs are truly running on cleaner energy.
Several participating locations have gone further by installing solar canopies over charging areas, generating renewable energy on-site while providing weather protection for shoppers.
These installations, branded as “Solar & Save Stations,” represent the next evolution of the concept, creating hyperlocal energy production and consumption ecosystems.
The Competitive Response: Industry Reaction
Chargefox’s innovation has not gone unanswered. Competing charging networks have scrambled to form their own retail partnerships, though none have yet matched the scale and integration of the Shop & Charge program.
Evie Networks recently announced partnerships with shopping centers, offering free parking during charging sessions and vouchers for center retailers.
Tesla has responded by enhancing entertainment options in vehicles during charging, including exclusive streaming content and gaming options only available while connected to Superchargers.
Petroleum retailers, already threatened by the gradual shift to electrification, have accelerated their own transformation plans.
Several major fuel chains have expanded convenience store offerings and introduced loyalty programs specifically targeting the “dwell time” during which consumers are on-site.
“What Chargefox has really done is force the entire industry to reconsider the fundamental customer experience,” says Automotive Futures analyst Peter Blackburn.
“They’ve recognized that time is the true currency in modern life, and any technology that requires consumers to spend time must offer compelling value in exchange.”
The Road Ahead: Expansion Plans and Future Developments
Building on the program’s success, Chargefox has announced ambitious expansion plans.
By mid-2026, the company aims to double its network of participating locations, with particular emphasis on regional areas where EV adoption has lagged due to charging concerns.
Technology enhancements planned for the coming year include predictive shopping lists based on charging patterns, enhanced route planning that optimizes both charging and shopping needs, and integration with vehicle navigation systems to streamline the entire journey.
“The next frontier is personalization,” reveals Walker. “Imagine your car knowing you’re low on both range and household essentials, then navigating you to the optimal charging location where your preferred groceries are in stock and a charging spot is reserved. That’s the seamless experience we’re building toward.”
Plans for adaptation to emerging charging technologies are also underway. As extremely fast charging becomes more common, the program will evolve to offer “Express Benefits” – smaller but instant rewards for shorter charging sessions, ensuring the model remains relevant as technology advances.
Charging Forward into a New Retail Landscape
The Shop & Charge program represents more than a clever marketing initiative; it signals a fundamental rethinking of how essential services like transportation, energy, and retail can converge to create consumer value.
In transforming a perceived drawback of EV ownership – charging time – into a financial benefit, Chargefox has created a blueprint that may well influence how other industries approach the electrification transition.
“What makes this program so powerful is that it doesn’t ask consumers to make sacrifices or changes purely for environmental reasons,” concludes Deloitte’s Thompson. “Instead, it aligns planetary benefits with personal ones, creating a virtuous cycle where doing the right thing for the climate also happens to be the most convenient and economical choice for the individual.”
As Australia continues its gradual shift toward electric mobility, programs like Shop & Charge demonstrate how thoughtful integration between sectors can smooth the transition, creating wins for consumers, businesses, and the planet alike.
For EV owners like Lisa Martinez, the calculation is far simpler: “My car runs on electricity, and now my groceries essentially do too. It just makes sense.