The New South Wales (NSW) government has announced it will invest $4.1 million (USD 2.72 million) to install 671 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports at 391 sites across the state as it seeks to accelerate the uptake of EVs in the state.
The government said it has awarded the first round of EV kerbside charging grants with its $4.1 million commitment to be matched by $8 million in private investment.
The investment will see 671 public EV charging ports installed at 391 sites across 16 local government areas in Sydney and Newcastle. The chargers will range from 7 kW to 75 kW and will include pole-mounted, pedestal and ‘kiosk’ EV chargers. The chargers will be installed on footpaths or in public council car parks and are to rolled out over the next 12 months.
NSW Energy Penny Sharpe said the new EV chargers will provide more convenient charging options for drivers without offsite parking, such as those living in apartments and metropolitan areas.
“This investment will significantly increase the availability of public charging options and give people confidence their next vehicle purchase can be an EV,” she said.
“Almost 30% of NSW drivers do not have access to private, off-street parking to charge an EV. That figure is considerably higher in metro areas.”
Syndey-based EV charging provider Jolt is one of eight grant recipients and said it intends to install 65 free kerbside public charging sites across seven local government areas in Sydney after securing $180,000 in funding.
Jolt said its EV charging stations will come online in the coming months with drivers to have access to 7 kWh of free energy per day. The company said there’s no obligation to go beyond the free 7 kWh charge, which takes about 15 minutes and adds approximately 50 kilometres of driving.
Jolt Chief Executive Officer Doug McNamee said kerbside charging is going to be a vital component of EV transition in busy metropolitan areas.
“For those people who lack easy charging options at home, this gives them the ability to reliably own an EV,” he said.
The NSW government said the kerbside charging grants are part of a broader $209 million commitment into EV charging infrastructure. The investment also includes $149 million for EV fast chargers which reduce the time it takes to top up batteries; $20 million for grants to install EV charging ports at regional tourist destinations across the state; and $10 million to retrofit EV infrastructure in apartment buildings.
The NSW government said it is also committing $260 million to underpin the rollout of an updated NSW EV Strategy that will be released later this year.
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