The first of 18 electric vehicle chargers to be rolled out to public car parks in the Adelaide CBD has been installed as part of the South Australia Labor government’s EV Smart Charging Trials.
The $3.2 million trials, which all up will see 142 EV charging stations installed and monitored across the state, aim to demonstrate how electric vehicle drivers can be incentivised to charge during periods of high renewable electricity generation or low grid demand.
In this particular Adelaide CBD trial, AGL Energy and Wilson Parking are joining forces help city drivers charge at times convenient to them, while also avoiding times of peak peak demand on the grid.
By installing EV chargers in car parks, starting with the Wilson Parking City West facility on Thursday, corporate, fleet and individual customers are being encouraged to take up the opportunity of an electrified car space.
The trial will give Wilson Parking subscribed customers access to their own EV charging bays, with all-day charging, 24-hour, 7- day-a-week access to their bays and unlimited entries and exits.
For AGL, the trial is expected to boost the gen-tailer’s understanding of EV use in public carparks by collecting data, analysing usage and monitoring charging behaviours.
Corporate, fleet and individual customers will be offered EV subscription pricing options which will include the availability to sign up to a flat-rate subscription model with bundled electricity costs.
EV charging stations will also be provided at the Wilson Parking car park located at Lot Fourteen, while AGL will provide up to six EVs and 10 smart chargers to Centacare and Uniting Communities to help the community organisations transition their commercial fleets to EVs and enable workplace and home charging.
Park and charge
“This trial will boost availability of public charging infrastructure, helping drive even greater uptake of EVs in South Australia,” said AGL general manager of emerging business, Bruce Hardy.
“These EV smart chargers will allow drivers to plug in and charge their vehicles at a parking space when and where it’s more convenient for them and at times when there is more renewable energy in the grid.
“With more EV charging stations around Adelaide and the right charging infrastructure in place, we’re confident even more South Australian drivers will make the shift to EVs,” Hardy said.
Wilson Parking chief technology officer Paul Sidwell said that to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles, charging must be more accessible.
“With this step forward, we will accelerate the future of low-carbon transport while providing our customers with convenience and efficiency,” Sidwell said.
“It is part of our goal to engage constructively with our fleet and corporate clients across Australia to ensure their sites can accommodate charging needs for EV drivers.”
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.