New South Wales electricity distributor Ausgrid has unveiled the first power pole-mounted electric vehicle charger in the City of Sydney, in the inner-western suburb of Glebe.
The successful deployment follows in the wake of what Ausgrid believes was Australia’s first pole-mounted EV charger for “long dwell” charging sessions, installed in the city of Newcastle in December last year.
The pole-mounted 22kW AC chargers are hoped to be the first of 30,000 such chargers Ausgrid expects to install across its network.
The Glebe pole mounted charger, was launched in partnership with the City of Sydney and local charging company EVX.
Faster and cheaper to deploy than other kerbside charging units – thanks to the existing infrastructure of a wooden pole and network connection point – the chargers also help to reduce urban clutter and cause less disruption to the surrounding community.
“We are incredibly excited to be launching the first power pole-mounted EV charger in Sydney with the City of Sydney and EVX,” said Marc England, Ausgrid CEO.
“Glebe is exactly the kind of suburb where demand for this solution will grow in the coming years. It is densely populated, and many people don’t have access to off-street parking. We believe that once the community see more charging infrastructure like this close to their homes, they will feel confident they can make their next vehicle purchase an EV.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.