Federal government tips in $15m for EV charging network

The federal government has announced $15 million in funding for what is being billed as the largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the country.

Work will commence in Brisbane today on the first of 42 charging sites connecting Australia’s eastern seaboard, along with separate destination sites in Far North Queensland, Tasmania and Perth.

Each site, built by start-up Evie and located about 150km apart, will use renewable energy and offer up to 350kW in power. There will be two chargers located at each station capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously.

The government funding will support the first phase of the $50.2 million network. It marks the biggest EV infrastructure investment yet at a federal level, and follows a separate $6 million input for the 21-station Chargefox rollout last year.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor said the charging network would make use of Australian-designed Tritium fast-charger units built in Brisbane, and “will be suitable for all EV models currently available, and will also support new EV models capable of even faster charging times”.

The new network would theoretically allow the Tesla Model 3 to make use of its 250kW fast-charging function, for instance. According to Tesla, that would facilitate an 80 per cent charge from 10 per cent in 22 minutes.

carsales.com.au has sought preliminary pricing for use of the new Evie network.

Evie chief executive Chris Mills said the new charging sites would address “range anxiety” fears that have contributed to the slow take-up of EVs in Australia.

As it stands, less than one per cent of new vehicle sales in Australia are pure electric, though that is set to change with new models from Hyundai, Nissan, Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, plus many more.

“We have estimated that Australia needs around 350 sites to cover all the highways that make up Australia’s National Land Transportation Network,” Mills said.

“While many consumers will charge at home, they will also need plenty of fast chargers in towns, suburbs and cities. There are currently around 6,500 petrol stations. This is just the beginning of the infrastructure build out.”

The new Evie network puts more momentum behind national infrastructure for EVs.

Tesla was among the first to debut its brand-specific EV stations in Australia, with the network now comprising about 30 supercharger stations.

Elsewhere, Queensland has a 31-strong network of charging stations, touted as the 'Electric Super Highway' and the NRMA invested $10 million in NSW to develop a network of 40 fast-charge stations.