General Motors has partnered with Reliant Energy to offer free overnight charging to some Chevy electric vehicle owners in Texas.
Chevy Owners Enrolling in Reliant EV Charging Plan You will receive free nightly charges through monthly bill credits that offset charges incurred between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., the companies said. Customers must also designate an electric vehicle to receive charging credit through the GM Energy Smart Charging Portal. (GM Energy is the automaker's home energy subsidiary and Reliant is a subsidiary of NRG Energy.)
The new plan is the latest push to discount charging costs for electric vehicle owners, as automakers rack up profits in hopes of winning over skeptical consumers. Ford recently announced a similar deal in Texas, partnering with one of Texas' largest electricity providers to provide some customers Free charging of electric vehicles at home. It also has a promotion to provide free home chargers to all new EV buyers through the end of the year.
Chevy owners who enroll in Reliant's EV charging plan will receive free overnight charging through monthly bill credits.
GM and Reliant say the power for overnight EV charging will come from renewable sources through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs), a popular method among private players to burnish their environmental bona fides. In the business world, a company buys a REC when it wants to claim that something runs on 100 percent renewable energy, even when it still runs on fossil fuels.
