ACT electric vehicle owners to get at least 20 new fast chargers across Canberra

Canberra is finally going to see at leat another 20 public electric vehicle fast charging stations, with local energy utility ActewAGL inking a deal with Evie Networks.

At least 20 new fast chargers are expected by the end of 2022, although exact details have not yet been announced. The use of Evie Network’s national access platform will also provide drivers with access to the company’s 24/7 support centre as well as its wider national network of recharging stations.

ActewAGL, half owned by AGL and the ACT government, sees the partnership as a response to the high interest in electric vehicle uptake in the ACT, with adoption rates sitting at some of the highest in Australia, even without many public charging stations.

“The ACT has the highest uptake per capita of EVs in Australia and we’re keen to support further EV adoption,” ActewAGL CEO John Knox said.

“The electrification of transport is good for consumers and the environment, with transport being the biggest contributor to emissions in the ACT.”

A spokesperson for ActewAGL told The Driven that the roll-0ut would involve all major town centres within Canberra (including Woden, Tuggeranong, Belconnen and Gungahlin etc.), with at least 20 new chargers rolled out before the end of next year.

“All Canberran major town centres will be represented with chargers built in convenient locations—safety and amenity are key considerations in identifying the most suitable locations,” the ActewAGL spokesperson said.

“Our focus extends beyond the ACT to the broader capital region with more news on locations to follow. We are in active negotiations with site hosts so we can’t share exact locations just yet. There will be over 20 chargers across the capital region, doubling the current public network charging capacity between now and 2022.”

ActewAGL currently operates a network of three papid chargers and eight fast chargers in the ACT, which will now fall under Evie Network’s service platform.

“All existing ActewAGL EV charging infrastructure will be transitioned across to Evie Networks with Evie Networks responsible for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the network,” the spokesperson said.

“Those who are currently using the ActewAGL network will be transitioned across and will use the Evie Charging app to set up and pay for charging sessions.”

ActewAGL said that it was also investigating new product offerings for customers that would include the bundling of electric vehicle charging solutions with the company’s residential and business energy products.

Evie’s CEO Chris Mills said that the partnership would help further position Canberra as a leading market for electric vehicle adoption.

“We know ACT residents have been earlier adopters of EV technology and this additional investment in the local network is a reflection of that,” Mills said.

Recent analysis of electric vehicle sales undertaken by The Driven showed that while the ACT represented just 4 per cent of the overall market for electric vehicles in Australia, the national capital had the highest per capita uptake of EVs, with drivers enjoying lower registration and stamp-duty fees.

Paradoxically, the ACT had proportionally the fewest public EV charging stations, with additional analysis published by Budget Direct showing that there were just 0.1 public charging stations for each electric vehicle registered in the ACT.

The Driven has sought more details about the partnership from ActewAGL and Evie Networks.