As part of an Australia-first trial being rolled out across the Sydney and Hunter regions of New South Wales (NSW), local street-side power poles will now be turned into electric vehicle charging stations.
According to project leaders Intellihub, 50 street-side locations will be chosen for the EV Streetside Charging Project, and every Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station will be directly connected to the overhead electricity supply and energy use matched with 100 per cent ‘GreenPower.’
The project will be delivered by several energy and EV businesses in partnership with local councils. It is supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) with an $871,000 grant. The EV chargers will be provided by Schneider Electric, while Origin Energy will provide 100 per cent GreenPower.
All the energy that will be used for the EV charges will be matched with the equivalent amount of certified renewable energy added to the grid.
Nine local councils will take part in the project and will be the ones to nominate the charging station sites. The nominations will be based on feedback from residents, expected demand, traffic access, and parking availability in the area.
The EV Streetside Charging Project aims to help improve the lack of public access to EV chargers today, especially for Australians who don’t have off-street parking.
Wes Ballantine, the chief executive of Intellihub, said, “It is expected that as many as 10 per cent of new car sales in Australia will be electric vehicles by 2024. That equates to an extra 120,000 new EVs on our local streets each year. It is likely that many of these car owners may be unable to charge their EVs from home.”
Areas near high-density single-dwelling suburban streets, apartment buildings, shopping strips, bus or train stations, sporting facilities, and hospitals are the potential locations for the charging stations. A specialist at Withywindle said there was potential for 190,000 public street-side charging stations all over the country.
The project will also provide safer ways for EV owners without off-street parking to charge their EVs. Local councils have been receiving regular reports of vehicles being charged via extension cords that are strung from homes to vehicles parked on the street.
How it works
EV chargers will be installed on power poles in participating locations. Drivers will need to use a third-party app, and from there, they will get information about the costs of charging, the time limits, and billing. EV owners will then be able to connect their EV to an available charger. Additionally, the chargers will also be monitored by researchers to see their impact on the grid.
The project trial is being rolled out in nine NSW local government areas:
- Inner West Council
- Singleton Shire Council
- Waverley Council
- Lake Macquarie City Council
- Woollahra Municipal Council
- City of Ryde
- Randwick City Council
- Northern Beaches Council
- City of Parramatta Council
The technology for the project hasn’t been specified, but the charging cables may not be provided. If chargers are not provided, users will need to buy a separate cable to access the charging boxes on power poles.
All the EVs available for you to buy today
To get you even more excited to be part of the green revolution in Australia, here are some of the EVs you can purchase today:
- MG ZS EV Excite
- BYD Atto
- BYD Atto 3 Extended Range
- Nissan Leaf
- Hyundai Ioniq Electric
- MINI Electric
- Hyundai Kona Electric Highlander
- Polestar 2
- Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus
- Mazda MX-30
- Tesla Model Y RWD
- Lexus UX300e Luxury
- Mercedes-Benz EQA
- Volvo XC40 Recharge
- Lexus UX300e Sports Luxury
- BMW i4
- BMW iX3
- Audi e-tron SUV
- Jaguar I-Pace SE
- Porsche Taycan
How long EVs take to charge
Now that we’re already on the topic of EV charging, the charging speeds for EVs vary depending on the type of vehicle and the type of charger being used. Let’s say you are using an ultra-fast 350kW charger, it can take only around ten minutes, or it can be between eight and 48 hours to charge an electric car when you use a supplied portable charger or a home charger.
When it comes to charging your electric vehicles, think of it like you’re charging your mobile phone or laptop.
Sometimes, public EV charging stations in Australia are free unless specified otherwise. The costs of charging will depend on the network of charging stations you’re charging with.
To find a public EV charger near you, try using one of these apps:
You can also view public charging stations Australia-wide via the NSW government’s Charging Map.
When it comes to charging your EV at home, the cost of a partial or full charge will be added to your energy bill. A full battery charge for a 60kWh car will cost between $14 and $25, and this will depend on which state you live in.
The Australian government is on a mission to meet their net-zero emission goal by 2050. Therefore, they are also making efforts in the EV sector.
One is their plans is to exempt select EVs from the fringe benefits tax to make it easier for business owners to buy one. They also have plans to remove the five per cent import tariff on some models.
The electric vehicle strategy is still in its early stages, along with the plans to build a national highway of EV chargers, but with private enterprises, and local, state, and federal governments working together, the EV revolution is well and truly becoming a reality.
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