Seven new pole mounted EV chargers have been installed across the Lake Macquarie LGA, just south of Newcastle in New South Wales, as part of a broader trial for local public charging options.
The 22kW chargers are part of the EV Streetside Charging Project, and have been installed on power poles in Harrison Street Cardiff, Beach Road Redhead, Ocean Street Dudley, Smith Street Charlestown and Bridge Street and Station Street in Morisset.
Each EV charging station is connected directly to the overhead electricity supply, with energy use matched with 100 per cent accredited GreenPower. The cost will be 50c/kWh.
The charging stations were installed by Intellihub together, with support from the Lake Macquarie Council and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
“Power poles line most streets and that represents an enormous opportunity for local communities needing a range of public charging solutions,” Intellihub CEO Wes Ballantine said in a statement.
“Motorists can use the chargers while shopping, seeing friends or at the beach. It’s as simple as driving up, plugging in, and using the Exploren app to start charging.
“They’re an accessible, safe, and practical option for EV charging, particularly for motorists without access to off-street parking.”
Intellihub says a two hour session on each charger will typically provide enough power for around 200km of driving. A full charge will cost around $35, depending on the car’s battery capacity.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kaye Fraser said the number of electric vehicles registered across the Lake Macquarie LGA had increased by more than 140 per cent over the past 12 months.
“There are more than 800 electric vehicles registered across our council area, and that number continues to grow each month,” Cr Fraser said.
“Accessible public charging infrastructure is central to supporting our residents already driving electric vehicles and for those people contemplating buying one for their next car purchase,” she said.
Fifty chargers are being installed across Sydney under the pilot project. Its aim is to test the commercial, regulatory and customer demand for pole mounted EV chargers.
Five pole-mounted chargers were also recently installed in Bondi.
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.