The South Australian government, in partnership with the Royal Automobile Association (RAA), will deploy 140 renewable electric vehicle charging sites in what it calls the first cross-border charging network in Australia.
The statewide electric vehicle charging network will include 86 AC chargers (7kW capacity), 54 DC fast chargers (150kW capacity) and ultrafast chargers (200kW capacity) to be rolled out later this year. .
59 electric vehicle charging stations are already available across Marion, West Lakes, Strathalbyn, Hahndorf, Woodside, Mt Gambier and Adelaide’s five UParks CBD locations.
Future locations will have a total of 536 charging bays and will be deployed across the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Clare Valley, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula, Flinders Mountains and Outback, Kangaroo Island, Coast limestone, Murray River, Lake and Coorang, Riverland and Yorke Peninsula regions.
The state government has committed $12.35 million in funding, with the aim of supporting “decarbonizing the state grid” and supporting “faster adoption of electric vehicles.”
The cross-border network will be powered by renewable energy which the government claims will “contribute significantly to the stability and efficiency of our electricity system, helping to reduce the pressure on electricity prices for all.” South Australians”.
The South Australian Labor Government is continuing to promote the use of electric vehicles, having recently abolished a tax on every kilometer tram traveled.
Other incentives South Australians can take advantage of include a three-year fee waiver on the cost of motorcycle registration as well as a $3000 EV subsidy (limited to a car price of $68,750 including GST).
In January 2023, electric vehicle sales in South Australia totaled 242 sales, up from 32 sales in January 2022.
According to a survey by the RAA, 62% of members are seeing electric vehicles as their next vehicle, but said they are held back by the lack of charging infrastructure.
With electric vehicle sales trending upward in SA, RAA chief executive Nick Reade claims the launch of the RAA Charge network will encourage more buyers to make the switch.
“Our research shows that interest in electric vehicles is constrained by a lack of available charging infrastructure – we will address that with the launch of the RAA Charge network,” said Mr. Reade.
The SA government is not the only state agency investing in EV charging networks.
In June last year, the Government of New South Wales announced it would allocate $38 million in the state budget 2022-2023. for electric vehicle charger.
The overall investment of $633 million from the NSW Government includes:
- 25,000 individual discounts worth $3000 for EV buyers under $68,750
- $10 million to co-finance 500 roadside toll stations to provide on-street charging in residential areas where private off-street parking is restricted
- $10 million to co-finance approximately 125 medium to large apartment buildings with over 100 car parking spaces to upgrade EV charging systems
- $18 million for additional EV fast charging grants to speed deployment of stations. It will also increase the number of charging points – from the current four to at least eight – at charging stations located in densely populated urban areas.
The Western Australian Government has announced it will partner with JET Charge to provide hardware for 98 EV charges across 49 locations.
The WA charging network will span over 6600 km with an average distance between chargers spanning 200 km.
Last month, the Western Australian Government also provided $15 million in funding to expand its electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
This new initiative allows SMEs, nonprofits and local governments to apply for a 50% subsidy on the cost of purchasing and installing an EV charger outside of their business.
Tram has surpassed hybrid and plug-in hybrid last month on the sales chart.
A total of 5932 EVs were sold in February, of which 2,671 were Tesla Model 3s – the third best-selling vehicle on the market overall.
