Western Australia’s McGowan government has launched a $15 million “Charge Up Workplace Grant Program,” offering small businesses, NGOs and local governments a discount on the price of installing electric vehicle charging stations for staff.
The program, part of the state Labor government’s $60 million EV package will offer up $3.75 million in the initial round, to cover around half the costs of buying and installing charging stations and associated software.
Round One grants will fund:
- 50 per cent of the cost of up to four Level Two EV chargers (7 to 22kW AC) per site, for up to five sites.
- 50 per cent of EV charger installation costs, with a cap of $5,000 per site in metropolitan areas and $10,000 per site in regional and remote areas.
- 75 per cent of the cost of a two-year smart charging software subscription.
A maximum grant value of $50,000 per approved applicant will apply in metropolitan areas, with a maximum value of $75,000 in regional and remote areas in recognition of the higher installation costs.
The program will fund EV chargers in the workplace and at destinations where people typically spend time during the day, for example carparks, hospitality businesses, tourist attractions, parks and beaches,” said WA energy minister Bill Johnston.
“The program prioritises daytime charging, which will enable EV owners to charge up from the abundant solar energy that powers the grid when the sun is shining.”
Australian charging station standards crucial as rollout ramps up
The WA charging station grants program is part of a wave of recent announcements around increasing Australia’s EV charging network. Last week the NSW government announced that if re-elected it would implement policies it says would add 30,000 public charging stations to the state.
While these announcements are welcome, it’s incredibly important that the charging network rollout is done properly as EV charging stations are now critical pieces of public infrastructure. Good charging standards are crucial.
Yesterday the Biden Administration announced strict EV charging standards including 97% uptime on all federally funded charging stations. The new standards are in response to a tidal wave of criticism around the reliability of the US public charging network. An issue that many Australian EV owners are familiar with.
Round one applications for WA’s EV charging station grants program open on 16 February 2023 and close on 12 May 2023.
For full details of the Charge Up Workplace Grant Program and to apply for a Charge Up Grant, visit www.wa.gov.au/chargeup.
Daniel Bleakley is a clean technology researcher and advocate with a background in engineering and business. He has a strong interest in electric vehicles, renewable energy, manufacturing and public policy.