Sydney council installs seven new pole-mounted EV chargers

The Northern Beaches Council near Sydney has completed the installation of seven new street side power pole-mounted electric vehicle (EV) chargers, adding to the growing list of EV charging locations in the area.

Power pole-mounted EV chargers have been rolling out across New South Wales thanks to utility services company Intellihub and backing from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Eliminating the need for extensive, expensive, and disruptive infrastructure upgrades and installations, mounting an EV charger on existing street side power poles offers a significant opportunity to dramatically expand the number of publicly available EV chargers around the country.

And, unlike other public EV charging solutions, there is no need for significant power grid works, as the EV chargers connect directly to the overhead electricity supply.

The seven new chargers in the Northern Beaches Council are part of a larger 12-month, $2 million trial being conducted between Intellihub and ARENA.

Announced in mid-2022, the trial will see the installation of 50 7.4kW pole mounted EV chargers installed across nine NSW councils: Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick, Lake Macquarie, Ryde, Singleton, Parramatta, Northern Beaches, and the Inner West.

The $2 million trial is supposed by Schneider Electric, which is providing the EV charging infrastructure; local charging solutions company EVSE, who will be managing the charging service; and Origin Energy, which will provide 100 per cent renewable power to the grid to match the equivalent power used in throughout trial.

“The Northern Beaches is one of the fastest growing areas for EV ownership and we are working with industry partners to make sure there are enough local charging stations to keep pace with demand,” said Sue Heins, Mayor of Northern Beaches Council.

“This wonderful initiative is making EV charging more accessible for people living in apartments, townhouses or units with no onsite EV charging options. We expect it will encourage more people to make the switch from petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles to electric.

“We continue to encourage all our residents to consider making the switch. Together, we can reach our target of a 30% reduction in vehicle emissions by 2038.”

Intellihub began the rollout of pole-mounted EV chargers in November of last year with the installation of 9 chargers in Sydney and the Hunter region. The seven new chargers installed throughout Northern Beaches are located at:

• Ashburner Street, Manly
• West Promenade, Manly
• Anzac Avenue, Collaroy
• Blackbutts Road (opposite Malbara Crescent), Frenchs Forest
• Yulong Avenue, Terrey Hills
• Allambie Road, Allambie Heights
• Dearin Reserve (opposite 13 Kalinya Street), Newport

New EV publicly available charging locations is expected to be a boon to the Northern Beaches region, which has seen more than 1,300 EVs registered over the past 12 months, bringing the tally to more than 3,100 EVs registered across the local government area.

According to the Council, “hundreds” of charging sessions have already taken place at these pole-mounted chargers since their installation.

The 12-month trial is running from April and will end with a report published in early 2025. Intellihub is hopeful that, if the trial is successful, many more chargers will be rolled out across the country.