Tasmanian EV drivers and tourists will now be able to charge their cars at the state’s first public DC fast charger which has been installed in Launceston by Brisbane-based Tritium.
In a state where natural beauty is the main attraction, and the local grid is near 100 per cent renewables, the installation is intended to make EV uptake more accessible for locals and visitors wanting to tour the island state without contributing to the demise of its air quality.
A report released in March 2018 by the Tasmanian government identified the key barrier to EV uptake as the lack of charging infrastructure—a problem that has been noted nationwide and is also behind ARENA’s latest funding for a mainland EV charging network.
“Tasmania is known for its pristine natural beauty, so it’s great to see the City of Launceston positioning Tasmania as a leader in zero-emissions mobility and helping to protect its environment in the process,” says Chris Hewitt, Tritium’s head of Australia/New Zealand sales.
“It’s been proven time and time again across the world that building charging infrastructure leads to an increase in EV uptake, and the City of Launceston is leading the way in enabling an EV future in Tasmania.”
“The Tritium DC fast charger is proven technology and will help eliminate ‘range anxiety’ for our growing number of EV drivers across the state.”
City of Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten says the installation is “an important first step in unlocking electric vehicle usage in the state of Tasmania.”
“The rise of electric vehicles is important for the state as the zero-emission driving capabilities of EVs ensures we can keep our biggest asset – our air and environment – clean for tourists,” he says.
Free to use until July next year, the Veefil-RT 50kW DC fast charger will allow EV drivers to recharge their electric cars to 80% within 30 minutes, which should be enough to cover the 2.5 hour drive between Tasmania’s main cities of Hobart and Launceston.
At the Paterson Street East car park site, all modern EVs can recharge using either a CHAdeMO or CCS2 socket from one of the two plugs available.
Tritium, who have a global presence and recently announced an injection of funds with Gilbarco Veeder-Root, a world leader in fuel technology, staking a claim in the company, are being recognised for their contribution in the emerging mobility infrastructure industry.
Just last week, it was recipient of the Premier of Queensland’s Exporter of the Year Award and the Manufacturing Award.
On Friday night it was awarded the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s top business award, as well as Queensland Urban Utilities award for Product Innovation for the development of its Veefil-PK 175-475kW DC high power charger.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.