Chargefox, NRMA officially open Sydney’s first ultra-rapid electric car charging site

The first ultra-rapid electric car charger in Sydney – and for that matter, NSW – has been opened by charging infrastructure network provider Chargefox and motorist’s association NRMA.

Located in the inner eastern suburb of Zetland at the East Village Shopping Centre, the two 350kW chargers and one 50kW charger are now officially open after having been online for just over two weeks.

Three electric cars will be able to charge at the site, using either the CHAdeMO or CCS2 connection available on each unit, adding up to 400km of charge in 15 minutes using the 350kW ultra-rapid units depending on maximum charging rate limits of particular models.

Using the 50kW fast charger, EV drivers will be able to add up to 60kms of range to vehicles in 15 minutes.

“From day one, our vision has been to see 100% of road travel powered by renewable energy, and our ultra-rapid chargers accessible to all Australians,” said Chargefox CEO Marty Andrews in a note by email.

“Today’s announcement – in Australia’s most populous city – brings us one step closer to that vision.

“We aim to make EV charging as fast and easy as possible for all Australians, and we’re excited to be leading the way in delivering world leading infrastructure backed by renewable energy, like at this site.”

All in all, 9 such ultra-rapid charging stations are slated for sites along key corridors in NSW, which when complete will add to a 47-strong network of fast charging stations in NSW thanks to investment from NRMA and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Along with NRMA’s own ultra-rapid charging network being rolled out across cities and regional towns – currently 25 sites are operation with another 15 on the way – this will make NSW the most EV-ready state in Australia.

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury says that more chargers means more choice and ultimately less range anxiety for EV drivers.

“We are proud to support this project that will add to our already extensive network of EV chargers across the state and further open up NSW to the next generation of motorists,” said Khoury in a statement by email.

“We know that range anxiety is a real barrier to the uptake of EVs now and into the future so more chargers will go a long way to alleviating concerns.”

Once complete, chargers in the Chargefox and NRMA networks will be spaced from 150km to 200 km apart.

This means that all modern EVs, from the 2019 Nissan Leaf with up to 270km range, or the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq with up to 311km range up to the higher spec’d models such as Tesla’s Model 3 Long Range with more than 500km  range will be able to travel NSW with confidence.

With a goal of opening 100 ultra-rapid charger sites around Australia, Chargefox recently announced 17 new sites of which the Zetland, Sydney site is one.

They include:

• NSW: Gundagai, Sydney, Ballina, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Karuah, Cooma, Shell Cove and Goulburn
• VIC: Ballarat, Moe and Horsham
• TAS: Central Tasmania
• SA: Greater Adelaide and Keith
• WA: West Perth and Australind

To date, more than 50,000 charging sessions across 1,000+ plugs have been recorded by Chargefox across Australia, charging up Australian EV drivers with more than 400 MWh of electricity.

“That’s enough electricity to power the average household for a decades,” sayd Andrews.