The installation of 34 new electric vehicle charging ports in Newcastle, New South Wales, powered by a council-owned Summerhill Solar Farm, comes as the city records a 1,000% surge in uptake of EVs in the past four years.
Co-funded by a $270,000 grant from the New South Wales (NSW) government’s EV Kerbside Charging Grants program, the 34 new chargers add to existing infrastructure to create a public EV charging network of 50 ports across 15 locations across Newcastle.
Charger types vary between locations, with speeds of 7 kW, 22 kW and 60 kWm with some requiring users to bring their own cable, while 60 kW models have one built-in.
The council says pricing is set at $0.20 per kWh for 7 kW and 22 kW chargers, and $0.60 for 60 kW fast chargers.
Executive Director Planning and Environment Michelle Bisson said the new public chargers installed by City of Newcastle will benefit the growing number of EV drivers and encourage others to make the switch.
“Our Newcastle Environment Strategy has a target of 52% of all new car registrations being EVs by 2030-31,” Ms Bisson said.
“The signs are already encouraging, with more than 1,350 EVs currently registered in Newcastle, a number which has risen by more than 1,000% in the past four years.
“One of the challenges, however, is that many drivers lack access to off-street parking to charge an EV.
“Increasing the availability of public chargers in different suburbs is an important step in achieving our goal of driving EV uptake and creating a cleaner, quieter, and lower emissions city.”
Summerhill Solar Farm
Image: City of Newcastle
Installation of a network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers powered in part by the City of Newcastle’s 5 MW Summarhill Solar Farm is nearing completion with 34 new ports added across 11 locations.
The Newcastle council secured a $6.5 million (USD 4.2 million) grant in 2018 from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to build the Summerhill Solar Farm on a capped landfill site, once a part of the Wallsend Borehold Colliery.
The 14,500-panel solar farm generates close to 7 GWh a year, and combined with 12 rooftop solar installations on council facilities, reduces the council’s carbon emissions by more than 6,400 tonnes annually.
NSW goverment co-funding
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the NSW Government has approved $4.1 million in co-funding to install 671 EV charging ports in 16 local government areas, including Newcastle, during round one of the program.
“Investing in EV charging infrastructure is about making sure Newcastle is keeping up with the growing demand for electric vehicles,” Minister Catley said.
“It’s not just about future-proofing our energy grid – it’s also about making every day travel easier and more accessible for everyone.
“Having more charging points across Newcastle means people can drive with confidence, knowing they’ll have the support they need to charge up and get where they need to go.”
Chair of City of Newcastle’s Strategy and Innovation Strategic Advisory Committee Councillor Declan Clausen welcomed the roll-out of public EV charging infrastructure, which is a key deliverable in the Newcastle Environment Strategy.
“Tripling the number of public EV chargers is an important step towards our city-wide transition to net zero emissions,” Clausen said.
“These new chargers … will be powered by 100% renewable energy that comes from a combination of our Summerhill Solar Farm and existing power purchase agreement with the Sapphire wind farm.”
Clausen added that to ensure Newcastle remains a leader in sustainable transport the city is also working to finalise a comprehensive EV and Low Emissions Transport Strategy to guide further investment.
Energy from a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Squadron Energy’s 270 MW Sapphire wind farm is also contributing to the EV charger network.
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