Australia is set to have hundreds of additional charging locations across the country over the next two years. New South Wales will invest $39.4 million, while Victoria pledges $50 million to boost the country’s electric vehiclenetwork, as per Whyalla News.
NSW and Victoria’s investment in electric vehicles
The NSW pledge coincides with a $50 million election promise from Victoria’s opposition parties to build 600 EV charging stations in the state.
Remarkably, the stations will be able to charge most electric car batteries by 60% in just 15 minutes with fast and ultra-fast charging capabilities.
Australia’s charging network will significantly expand if both projects move through. According to the EV Council, there are only 2147 locations across Australia.
Treasurer and Minister for Energy Matt Kean announced that the NSW Government would invest $39.4 million in round one of the fast-charging grants. It will co-fund 86 new fast and ultra-fast EV charging stations.
“This investment will see the largest, fastest and most comprehensive public EV charging network in Australia,” Mr. Kean said.
“The ultra-fast chargers will be able to charge modern EVs from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in around 15 minutes and all stations will be fully powered with renewable energy.”
Details of NSW’s investment in Australia’s charging network
A total of 86 sites are expected to receive fast and ultra-fast chargers. The NSW plans to deploy the stations to Mildura, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay, and Newcastle.
According to TechGuide, the NSW government aims to deploy 250 fast and ultra-fast charging stations throughout the state to reach more than 500 stations in the upcoming years. Furthermore, the state aims to have its charging stations no more than 5 km apart in metro areas and no more than 100 km apart in regional areas.
On the other hand, the charging stations will be constructed by Ampol, BP, Evie Networks, Tesla, the NRMA, and Zeus Renewables throughout the following 24 months.
Based on the State of Electric Vehicles report by the EV Council this month, the new chargers will increase the NSW network of 347 public EV charging points. Currently, there are already 118 fast and ultra-fast chargers available in the state.
Details of Victoria’s investment in Australia’s charging network
Since Victoria’s Liberal and National parties pledged to co-fund 600 electric vehicle charging stations as part of a $50 million election commitment, the state may catch up to NSW in terms of electrification.
According to Victorian Liberal Party Deputy Leader David Southwick, the coalition would engage with local governments, businesses, and community organizations to install EV charging stations.
“By rolling out an extra 600 charging stations across the state, we will boost charging access and reduce the barriers to entering the electric vehicle market,” he said.
“The more electric vehicles we have on our roads, the more Victorians can save on spiralling fuel costs and we can achieve our emissions reductions targets.”
Furthermore, the state’s tax on electric vehicles would also be paused by the Victorian opposition until 2027 at the cost of $82.2 million.
Australia’s current charging network
Australia had 2147 public EV charging stations by the first half of this year. It was 15% higher than at the beginning of 2021, with NSW leading the way. It was followed by Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.
Government initiatives like this are crucial for promoting the adoption of electric vehicles and encouraging more individuals to do so. Australia must be ready to provide sufficient charging stations and incentives if it wants to use green mobility to meet its net zero emission ambitions.
