Trade your AC charger up to a DC30
Bought an AC charger for the business and found it can't keep up? Trade it in for up to $2,000 against a DC30. A full charge drops from 5–8 hours to about 1.5 — so the vehicle goes back to work the same day instead of sitting on a wall overnight.
- Up to $2,000 traded in against a DC30
- AC to DC upgrades — for SME and commercial sites
- Removal, replacement and registration on one quote
- Installed by a Licensed Electrical Worker
“We bought an AC charger. It isn’t enough.”
It is a common position for a business with a small fleet. The AC unit went in a year or two ago, the vehicles are busier than expected, and 5–8 hours on charge no longer fits the working day. The charger is not faulty — it is simply the wrong size for the job now.
So rather than write it off, trade it in. We assess the AC unit, put its value against a DC30, remove it, install the replacement and register it — on one quote, in one visit.
Four reasons an AC charger stops working for a fleet
The day is not long enough
AC takes 5–8 hours for a full charge. A DC30 does it in about 1.5. When a vehicle has to be back out in the afternoon, that gap is the whole problem.
One charger, several vehicles
A single AC point is fine for one van overnight. Add a second and a third and the queue forms — the charger, not the fleet, starts setting the schedule.
The fleet grew faster than the site
Most sites size their first charger for the vehicles they had, not the ones they added. Upgrading the point is usually cheaper than adding more slow ones.
The old unit still has value
A working AC charger from a brand we carry is worth something to us — we refurbish and resell it. That value comes off your DC30 instead of going in a skip.
AC overnight, or DC before lunch
The same vehicle, the same site — the difference is how long it is off the road.
Your AC charger today
7.4–22 kW, wall-mounted
- Full charge
- About 5–8 hours
- Practical pattern
- Overnight only — the vehicle is committed for the night
- A second vehicle
- Waits for the first to finish
The upgrade
DC30 after the trade-in
30 kW DC fast charging
- Full charge
- About 1.5–2 hours
- Practical pattern
- Top up between jobs — charging fits inside the working day
- A second vehicle
- Charged and away while an AC point would still be on the first
Four steps, one site visit
- 1
Send us the details
Make, model, rough age and a photo of the unit and its isolator. That is usually enough for an initial view without anyone coming out.
- 2
We assess it
We confirm what the existing unit is worth against a replacement, and whether your current cable run, protection and mounting can be reused — reusing them is where the real saving sits.
- 3
You get one quote
Trade-in value, replacement unit, any electrical works and the LTA registration, on a single quote after the survey. No separate removal invoice appearing later.
- 4
Swap and register
A Licensed Electrical Worker removes the old unit, installs and commissions the replacement, and we register the new charger with LTA. Old hardware is taken away.
Rip and replace, or trade in
Both end with a new charger on the wall. They differ in what happens to the old one, how many trades you deal with, and what you pay for twice.
Buy new, deal with the rest yourself
The default route
- The old unit
- Yours to remove, store or dispose of
- Who you deal with
- A supplier for the unit, an electrician for the swap, and someone for disposal
- Existing cable & protection
- Usually re-run, whether or not it needed to be
- LTA registration
- Your responsibility to confirm
- What the old charger is worth
- Nothing — nobody assessed it
Trade it in with us
One assessment, one quote, one visit
- The old unit
- Assessed for value, then removed and taken away by us
- Who you deal with
- One team for assessment, removal, supply, installation and registration
- Existing cable & protection
- Reused wherever it is adequate — this is where the saving sits
- LTA registration
- We register the replacement
- What the old charger is worth
- Confirmed on your quote after assessment
Not every charger carries a trade-in value. Where yours does not, we will say so plainly and quote the replacement on its own merits.
Half the value is in what is already on your wall
People assume the trade-in is only about the box. Often the bigger number is the installation behind it — the cable run, the protective device, the isolator and the mounting position.
Where that work was done properly and is adequately rated for the new charger, the replacement can be a swap and recommission rather than a fresh install. Where it was undersized or unprotected, it has to be redone — and we would rather show you that at the survey than discover it on installation day.
- Cable size vs the new charger's output
- Protective device and isolator
- Mounting position and weather exposure
- Whether the unit was ever LTA registered
Ten LTA-approved AC brands, and no reason to push one
We are not a single-brand dealer, so the replacement we recommend is the one that suits your car, your supply and how you actually charge.
What qualifies for a trade-in
We refurbish and resell the units we take back, so the programme only covers chargers we can actually stand behind. Four conditions.
- It must be a working unit — a charger that has already failed has no trade-in value
- It must be one of the ten AC brands we carry, because we refurbish and resell it
- It must be de-registered with LTA before the trade-in goes through
- Trade-in value depends on how many years the charger has been installed
The programme is for SME and commercial sites upgrading from AC to DC. It is not open to homeowners or landlords — DC charging cannot be installed at a residential lot, so the upgrade would not be possible.
What to send us
Five things let us give you a useful answer without a site visit.
- Make and model of the existing charger
- Roughly how old it is, and whether it still works
- A photo of the unit on the wall
- A photo of the isolator or distribution board feeding it
- What you want instead — faster charging, app control, a second car, or billing
Trade-in value depends on the make, model, age and condition of the unit, and is confirmed on your quote after assessment. Not every charger carries a trade-in value — where it does not, we will say so plainly and quote the replacement on its own merits.
Frequently asked questions
What is my old EV charger worth?
It depends on the make, model, age and condition, and on whether the existing installation can be reused. Rather than publish a figure that will be wrong for most units, we assess yours and confirm the value on your quote. Send a photo and the model number and you will usually have an initial view the same day.
Do you accept chargers you did not install?
Yes. Send the details and we will assess it the same way. We will also check the existing installation while we are there. If a charger was fitted with cable that is too thin, or without proper protection, you should know either way.
Does the old charger need to be working?
Not necessarily. A unit that has failed may still be worth something, depending on the fault and the model. Even when it is not, we can take it away and dispose of it as part of the replacement job, so you are not left with it. Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you where it stands.
Can I reuse the existing cable and isolator?
Often, and that is where the money is saved. If the previous installation used adequately sized cable, correct protection and a suitable position, the replacement may only need the unit swapped and recommissioned. If it was undersized for the new charger's output, it has to be redone — we will show you which situation you are in at the survey rather than discovering it on installation day.
Who removes and disposes of the old unit?
We do, as part of the same visit. A Licensed Electrical Worker disconnects and removes the old charger, installs and commissions the new one, and we register the replacement with LTA. You are not left with a dead unit on the wall or a separate disposal job to arrange.
Does the trade-in apply to commercial sites?
Talk to us about it. We look at multi-unit sites, workplace banks and condo installations differently from a single home charger. On those, much of the value is in what can be reused: the cable runs, the load management and the mountings, not only the units. Send us the site details and we will work it out properly.