Site hosts can apply idle fees to their stations to encourage drivers to move on once they've finished charging.
What are idle fees?
Idle fees are an additional charge that may be applied to a charging session when a driver’s vehicle stops charging and remains connected to the charging station.
How do idle fees work?
A driver will be charged an idle fee at a pre-defined price per minute rate if the grace period has elapsed since their vehicle has finished charging but they’re still plugged in to the station.
If they’re an app user, they will be notified which stations have idle fees turned on and also when idle fees apply during their charge session.
Idle fees are disbursed according to the normal disbursement schedule for your organisation.
You can read more about the driver idle fee experience here.
Before applying idle fees to stations: stickers
Before applying idle fees to stations, ensure you have ordered and affixed idle fee stickers to any stations where idle fees will apply.
You can order idle fee stickers through this form. Please order your stickers at least 2 weeks before you intend to enable idle fees for your station.
Stickers inform drivers that idle fees apply and are required for stations hosted on Chargefox. If a driver disputes an idle fee and no idle fee sticker is affixed to the station, we will refund the driver and deduct the idle fee from your disbursement.
Setting idle fees and applying them to stations
Setting up idle fees is a two step process.
- You set your idle fee policy: the price per minute, grace period and maximum spend
- You select which stations you’d like idle fees to apply
Set your idle fee policy
In the charger management portal, head to Stations and click the Tariffs tab. Under the Idle fee section:
- Define your Price per minute
- Define your grace period (minutes of idling)
- Define a maximum fee. This is the maximum amount a driver will be charged for idling.
- Click Update idle fee
Apply idle fees to stations
Once you've set your idle fee policy, you can apply idle fees to one or more stations.
To apply idle fees, navigate to the Stations page in the Chargefox portal.
- Find the station(s) you'd like to apply idle fees to, using the filters if applicable
- Check the checkbox on the left of each station row you'd like to update
- Click the Bulk actions menu and select ‘Apply idle fees’
Note: Idle fees are currently supported for DC stations only.
Frequently asked questions
How will drivers be invoiced?
A separate invoice will be sent via email to the driver if they accrue idle fees for their charge session.
How will drivers know they’re being charged an idle fee?
We will notify the driver in the following ways:
- When viewing the charge station on the map screen in the Chargefox app, there will a message stating that idle fees apply
- If the driver has push notifications turned on, we will send them a notification to advise when charging is finished and again when idle fees start
- We will also create new screens in the app when charging is done to communicate when idle fees apply
- Where possible, stickers will be attached to charging cables at stations where idle fees apply
Do idle fees apply even if there’s other charge stations available?
Yes. Idle fees will still apply if a driver remains at the charging station after they have finished charging.
Do idle fees apply while the car is charging?
No. Idle fees only begin after the driver has finished charging.
Will drivers who pay by credit card be charged idle fees?
Not currently, but may be something we support in future.
Does GST apply to idle fees?
Yes. GST is included in any idle fees charges.
How do idle fees work for Fleet vehicles?
Due to the increased complexity of the financial agreements we have with fleet operators (including rental car companies), we don’t have a specific solution in place for fleet vehicles at this time. We are hoping to work on this in the coming months.
Can idle fees be turned on at AC stations?
At this stage, no. This is due to technical complexities involved in how charge stations communicate with our systems.
Are drivers with OEM subscriptions exempt from idle fees?
No. Any driver with a discount or subscription is not exempt from paying idle fees. Drivers can continue to charge for free if they have free charging, but we will calculate and invoice them for any idle fees incurred.
What signage is being used?
Please order idle fee stickers through this form and affix them to your station as shown in the image below.
You can download a PDF version of the sticker install guide here.