RACV to replace first generation Tritium chargers around Victoria

The network of EV chargers in Victoria might be about to get more reliable, with RACV announcing an upgrade of 24 public chargers, and 22 at chargers at RACV clubs and resorts.

The upgrades will begin next month and be completed by mid-2025. The main change is the replacement of the much-maligned first generation Tritium chargers with those from a rival company, Kempower.

“It is time to replace the first-generation technology with new high-quality chargers of varying speeds,” said Greg Edye, RACV General Manager Energy.

At the public sites, RACV will replace 24 Tritium DC chargers with Kempower chargers.

Fast chargers from Brisbane-based company Tritium were at one stage the most installed fast chargers around the country but its first generation units were a source of frustration and irrational for drivers because some were often out of action.

Tritium ha closed it’s Brisbane factory last year, amid a slump in its share price, and charging network companies like Chargefox and others have struggled to obtain replacement parts and repair damaged chargers in a reasonable timeframe.

“RACV has committed to a significant upgrade of all its new and existing charging stations,” Edye said in a statement to TheDriven.

“While faults can occur with any technology, electric vehicle charging hardware has developed significantly since the first generation of units was rolled out across Victoria and as such, we believe replacing existing units with newer technology will deliver a better charging experience.”

The company will also be upgrading 22 AC chargers (7 to 22 KW) and installing six new fast chargers (50 KW) at RACV clubs and resorts.

Access to all the chargers requires a Chargefox account, which can be accessed through the app. This new announcement is adding to Chargefox’s 1,800 plug network.

Summer holidays and a sharp increase in EV sales has meant that public charger use has more than doubled across Australia, but worries about long wait times has not yet eventuated.

“The statistics show that EV ownership is growing faster than the EV-charging rollout, which would suggest there needs to be more chargers installed,” said Chargefox marketing head Rob Asselman

“The government is going to need to play a role in some of these areas if they want true national coverage.”