First ultra-rapid charging station opens in Perth, but network limits output

Motoring organisation RAC Western Australia has officially opened Perth’s first ultra-rapid charging station at its head office in West Perth, offering EV owners 400-kilometres of range in a charging time of less than 15 minutes.

Two new chargers at the site will be available 24/7 to all EV and hybrid drivers, and were installed by Chargefox and appear to have been installed alongside an existing AC/ J1772 charger.

The RAC ultra-rapid fast charger is also located close by to several other EV charging stations with smaller charging options, although it appears the ultra-rapid charging station, which is supposed to deliver up to 350kW, is currently limited to 50kW pending a network upgrade.

“The new ultra-rapid charging station is the first of its kind in Perth and our fastest yet — delivering up to 400km of driving range in less than 15 minutes,” said Will Golsby, RAC General Manager External Relations.

“This is an exciting milestone in RAC’s work to reduce harmful vehicle emissions and will help support the uptake of electric vehicles and hybrids in Western Australia.”

The new chargers are part of the RAC Electric Highway which now includes 12 locations between Perth and Augusta with publicly accessible fast and ultra-rapid charging points.

“We know there’s an appetite for electric and hybrid cars in Western Australia, with a recent survey showing nearly one in two of our members would consider purchasing one as their next car,” said Golsby.

“But cost, range anxiety and access to charging infrastructure remain the biggest barriers to the uptake of EVs.

“We hope further investment in charging infrastructure across Western Australia will drive greater uptake of low and zero emission vehicles and support the transition to cleaner and more sustainable transport.”

The site is also the second Chargefox ultra-rapid charging station in Western Australia, after the first was opened at Australind in October 2020.

“We’re thrilled to have doubled the ultra-rapid charging infrastructure for EV drivers in Western Australia with the opening of our latest station in West Perth,” said Marty Andrews, Chargefox CEO.

“Our goal is to build the infrastructure required to get more EVs on the road, reducing carbon emissions in WA and across Australia.”