The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) says a planned electric vehicle (EV) charging site at the small indigenous community of Yalata – on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain – will be upgraded to provide charging speeds of up to 50kW.
RAA announced on Monday that it was upgrading the planned charging speed of the EV charging site in the Aboriginal community of Yalata, around 200 kms west of Ceduna. It was originally intended to be just 7kW.
“The 480 kilometres from Ceduna to the Border Village has been a black spot for EV charging, and we’re very happy to have been able to find a solution for EV drivers crossing the spectacular Nullarbor,” said Nick Reade, the CEO of RAA.
“We are working with our platform provider Chargefox, to enable the charger at Yalata to softly ramp up to 50kW and ramp down to securely provide EV drivers with fast charging infrastructure at this critical location.”
The soft ramp up requirement is needed because the local community is off the main grid and is currently powered by three diesel generators, and the EV charger needs to work within their operating envelopes. The charger will be a Kempower facility with two CCS2 plugs and three bays.
“EV drivers can already charge their battery at our 150kW rapid charging site at Ceduna which came online in February, but the new site at Yalata will give drivers the option to top up on the last stretch before heading into WA,” Reade says.
The Yalata EV charging site will be built at the Yalata Roadhouse and Caravan Park which is owned by the Yalata Anangu Aboriginal Corporation and is expected to begin construction next month.
The RAA is working with the Yalata Anangu Aboriginal Corporation on the design of the site which is expected to include options for drivers towing caravans and trailers.
“Securing enough power to support fast EV charging along the far west coast has been challenging because much of it is beyond the established electricity grid, which ends just west of Ceduna,” said Reade.
Upgrading to a 50kW charging site from the originally planned 7kW charger was made possible thanks to an agreement between RAA and the South Australian government, as part of its Remote Area Energy Supply (RAES) scheme which aims to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective electricity supply to remote South Australian towns.
Options are being considered to add a small solar farm and battery storage to the community to boost reliability and lower costs.
The route to Perth will be completed by the installation of several new EV chargers on the WA-side of the border as part of the larger WA EV Network.
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.
It amazes me that a place that gets so much sunshine (on par with Perth and Darwin) would still be relying on expensive diesel for its power needs. Surely the payback time for a solar/battery system would be very short.
It’s because old white men are still in charge.
‘oh,you need a spinning machine’
Righto boomer, you take your 1980’s engineering textbook and go sit in the nursing home.
The Yalata EV charging site will be built at the Yalata Roadhouse and Caravan Park which is owned by the Yalata Anangu Aboriginal Corporation
I’m a boomer and I totally agree with Martin. That short sightedness is coming from genX politicians.
Politicians of all age groups are short sighted.
Very droll Sam. Since the problem would already have been solved if it was economic, I guess you are punting for yet more subsidies. Or are you volunteering your cash?
Taxpayers have been subsidising industry for decades. We paid foreign car makers to stay here for the sake of a few jobs.
Did you complain then?
50kW?!?!
Whynot those charger+battery setups from that Qld company!
Much higher output, smaller network impact.
Because there is not expected to be a high usage.
No need to spend excess money where it’s not needed.
Ahhh, classic approach that was used on the NBN as it transitioned to the nbn.
Fibre to the node for the win.
You only need 25mbs right now, so that’s all we give you.
Infrastructure inframuchture
Interesting how you equate the provision of a ‘free’ (taxpayer funded) internet connection to every dwelling as an essential service.
A lot of these outback chargers are offline due to vandalism. Have a look on plugshare, particularly around northern WA, Fitzroy Crossing.
Have they identified the culprits?
What’s your theory?
Is it copper thieves or frenzied fossil fuellers?
Good news that little community with 3 diesel generators would be a great place for solar and batteries supported by wind turbines. It would save a lot of $ the Head of the Bight is very sunny and quite windy.
It would save locals lots of $ and could possibly provide jobs via the tourist attraction of cheap rapid charging with nice accomodation/meals. Especially as we get more and more EVs, trucks, utes, camper vans, etc.
What happens when there is a couple of overcast days ? DUHH
No wind, no sunshine? It would be very rare, I’d imagine.
Look, nobody wants this forum to be a backslapping echo chamber but if you sceptics are going to visit you could at least have the dignity to learn something, anything, about batteries.
Try running your ICE without one.
How about getting rid of the fossil fuel generators ffs!!! This is one of the best solar resources(and probably wind) in the country!!!
All those people calling for a solar farm instead of diesel, did you read the 2nd last paragraph??
What’s your point?
Are you calling them stupid?
Clarity is what we all crave, nitpicking is for those who enjoy eating bugs.
Great news, but delaying the transition to stand alone renewable energy in this sort of environment (ie already off grid) is merely prolonging the inevitable.
We are all on the same side crew, a better , cleaner world for us and our children.
I sense the frustration that these thugs in the fossil fuel industry are deliberately delaying the transition as much as possible, after all their making trillions in the profitable industry that’s ever existed is like heroine from a junkie.
Maintain the rage, but don’t let it make you ineffective, join XR, Greenpeace , SEN , the Independents and stay in the area.