Australian energy giant AGL Energy is offering free charging for EV owners – at least for a few months – as it rolls out the first of 149 pole-mounted EV chargers that to help service those without off-road parking at home.
The offer is being made for 39 new pole-mounted kerbside electric vehicle (EV) chargers that will be installed by Plus ES in the suburbs of Birchgrove, Balmain, Lewisham, Stanmore, and Newtown in Sydney’s inner west. The free charging will last until the end of January next year.
Kerbside EV charging has evolved to become an important cog in the rollout of EV charging infrastructure, especially in places where off-street parking is limited. According to Plus ES, 30 per cent of drivers in New South Wales lack access to private off-street parking.
This has in turn led EV owners to attempt increasingly convoluted and sometimes unsafe methods to charge their vehicles, such as running extension cords over trees, across footpaths, and even through drainpipes.
The pole-mounted chargers installed by AGL and Plus ES – and backed by a state government grant – will also act as a pilot for a model that could be replicated across the entire state.
In addition to providing easy charging access, pole-mounted chargers also minimise the impact on the community during construction and require less dedicated EV charging parking.
“We know that availability of public charging can be a barrier to people choosing to purchase an EV, so by installing these 149 chargers into Sydney, we hope to create greater convenience for those already with EVs and reduce barriers to future adoption,” said Jo Egan, AGL’s chief customer officer.
“We will use our GreenPower product to supply these chargers so the same amount of energy used by the chargers will be fed into the grid from renewable sources.”
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.