$2.4 million in funding has been announced for the installation of 250 public kerbside electric vehicle charging stations across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Last year, SQ published an article on some of the creative solutions EV owners who can’t charge at home in their driveway or garage have come up with for kerbside charging.
Some of the approaches could get these owners into trouble with the powers-that-be and create pedestrian safety issues. But these DIY attempts are highlighting that as EV ownership takes off in Australia, so too is the need for more, more convenient, better and safer solutions.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced on Friday it would provide funding to EVX Australia Pty Ltd for a kerbside EV charger rollout, which will be occurring in more than 60 local government areas over the next two and a half years.
“Not all electric vehicle owners have the ability to charge their vehicle at home or at work, which is why we’re excited to partner with EVX on this rollout that utilises kerbside charging poles, providing a great opportunity to pair with EV charging,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller.
Exactly where the devices will be installed wasn’t mentioned.
For this project, EVX will be supported by the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney, and work with Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSPs) Ausgrid, Essential Energy, Endeavour Energy, SA Power Networks, Ausnet, CitiPower, Powercor and United Energy. The electricity retailer for all sites will be Flow Power.
Another company involved is WeVolt, which will be working with EVX to create an interface between utility systems and the public charging network, and a user interface.
EVX’s Polecharger
Designed and manufactured in Australia, EVX’s Polecharger will be used in the rollout. It offers dual 22kW smart charging outlets, and the firm says electricity supply is 100% renewable energy. As the devices can be installed on existing utility pole infrastructure, it keeps associated civil works to a minimum and accelerates installation. But they can also be installed on bollards, or specially constructed posts.
“The EVX Polecharger is more than a charging station; it’s a beacon of innovation and collaboration, bringing together the best of Australian design, manufacturing, and support,” says the firm.
These are untethered devices, meaning a charging cable isn’t permanently attached – drivers will need to BYO a Type 2 cable. As for the cost of using the chargers installed under this initiative, flexible tariff structures are yet to be worked out. The project page notes real-time pricing signals will be involved, including reduced costs during times of greater renewables generation.
While there will be an app, a ‘tap and pay’ functionality will be available for customers who choose not to use the app-based interface.
Sydney-headquartered EVX was founded in 2021 by Sean McGinty and Kevin Mooney, a couple of sparkies who have been in the electricity supply industry for 30 years.
Last year, EVX received $760,452 in co-funding from the NSW Government to install 77 Polechargers (154 ports) at various localities throughout that state. This was part of a $4.1 million Minns Government initiative to install 671 EV charging ports at 391 sites across New South Wales.
The new project’s funding is being delivered via the Albanese Government’s Driving the Nation Program.
“The project will make EV charging more accessible for both residents and visitors to these regions, whilst also crucially allowing us to further test, adapt and develop the way we rollout this community charging infrastructure into the future,” said EVX CEO Andrew Forster.
Commenting on the initiative, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen stated the Albanese Government has tripled the number of fast-chargers installed around Australia while it’s been in office, but a mix of solutions was needed.
“These chargers are a key step to unlocking cleaner, cheaper-to-run EVs for Australians who aren’t able to charge them at home,” he said. “Projects like this, supported by ARENA funding, are helping develop the answers we need to scale.”
Need to find a place near you to top up your EV? Planning a trip? You might find SQ’s public EV charging station map page useful.
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