1000 new kerbside EV chargers to be installed by 2025
Local partnership with Connected Kerb aims to promote EV uptake by removing arguably the key transition barrierA new partnership between UK-based Connected Kerb and local EV infrastructure provider EVX aims to install 1000 new kerbside EV charging points around the country over the next 24 months.
Similar in concept to a trial announced in August this year in NSW, where Intellihub is installing 50 electric vehicle chargers on power poles in seven Sydney council areas and two Newcastle/Hunter region councils, the Connected Kerb kerbside chargers will be integrated into existing roadside structures like bollards and poles.
Described as a game-changer for the public sector, councils, workplaces and developers, the Australian-first Connected Kerb chargers will be installed in some of Australia’s ‘long-dwell’ charging locations (where EVs are parked for at least an hour or two), which EVX says is crucial to promoting “the adoption of electric vehicles at the rate required”.
“I think there needs to be a mindset shift. Australians have been used to getting fuel for their vehicles in an instant but as we transition to EVs at scale, EV charging infrastructure needs to serve both fast and long-dwell scenarios,” said EVX co-founder, Sean McGinty.
While the consumer-focused elements of the chargers (ie: the plug) will be above ground, the power and data units will be stashed underground in a protective and “extremely robust” steel box only accessible to councils and maintenance staff.
EVX says this allows for above-ground charging points to be progressively installed for councils, fleet management companies and other commercial enterprises without the investment of any additional infrastructure or substations
“This is an exciting partnership for EVX,” CEO Andrew Foster said.
“Our integration of Connected Kerb’s technology and product is a first for Australians and will revolutionise the way we charge EVs – particularly in public kerbside applications, which is an area of significant need.”
McGinty added that Australia would need roughly 2.8 million charging points by 2030 to support the three million EVs projected to be on our roads by the end of the decade.
“We understand the availability of public EV charging points is one of the primary barriers to making the transition away from petrol or diesel-powered cars towards electric vehicles, and we’ve made it our mission to take the lead in removing this barrier here in Australia,” he said.
“EVX’s mission is to deliver affordable and robust public charging infrastructure, for everyone that needs it. Given the rapid adoption of EV’s in urban areas, we expect EVX’s existing and future solutions to become more heavily utilised as we roll out this critical infrastructure.”
One of the country’s newest EV charging infrastructure companies, EVX was founded in 2021 by McGinty and Kevin Mooney – both electricians by trade – after they recognised the lack of infrastructure for EV users without access to adequate home charging.
Connected Kerb, meantime, provides what it describes as innovative, robust and future-proofed EV charging solutions, and has already installed over 10,000 public on-street charging points across the UK, where 60 per cent of people are unable to charge their car at home.
EVX says it has been undertaking testing and validating of its first 10 chargers in Australia, where the public will have access to its network from the first quarter of 2023.
No formal list of locations has been released yet but odds are the new chargers will be primarily installed along the eastern seaboard given that’s where the most EVs are being purchased and leased.
EVX is yet to announce the specifications of its EV chargers, but its website list four different outdoor units including the 7kW and 22kW-capable Gecko that’s claimed to provide 120km of range in an hour and can also support wireless charging, as well as the compact Chameleon long-dwell charger, the wall-mounted Scarab and the discreet wall-mounted 7kW Limpet.
EVX isn’t the first Australian company developing and installing urban roadside EV chargers.
The first was the $2 million NSW trial that is being funded by the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to the tune of $871,000, supported by Schneider Electric, managed by EVSE and supplied with renewable power from Origin Energy.
And just last week, Melbourne’s Port Phillip Council announced an EV infrastructure trial allowing homeowners to install personal pop-up EV chargers on public land for about $6000, plus a $124 permit and $100 annual fee.
Connected to a home’s electricity supply and produced by Australian start-up Kerb Charge, the 35cm-tall pop-up EV chargers are said to be flood-proof and approved for use by Energy Safe Victoria.
Related: EV charging coming to NSW power poles
Related: Public wireless EV charging ramps up
Related: Now you can charge your EV from the footpath
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