Two hospitals in New South Wales have received electric vehicle (EV) charging upgrades as part of the state government’s goal of requiring all new government passenger vehicles to be fully electric by 2030.
NSW Health says it has installed 38 new EV chargers, including 36 AC chargers and two DC fast chargers at the Sutherland Hospital and Prince of Wales hospitals, part of an effort to cut transport-related emissions linked to fleet operations as well as support a growing staff and visitor fleet of EVs.
The upgrades were delivered by Sydney-based electrical contracting company Aeron Group in partnership with French energy technology company Schneider Electric, which supplied the EV chargers.
Installation of the EV chargers were undertaken despite both facilities operating 24-hours, requiring a staged delivery process to avoid disruption to the hospitals’ normal operations.
Ageing digital systems at both locations also posed what could have been costly and disruptive electrical upgrades to accommodate the increased charging demand. However, using a dynamic load management system (LMS) developed by Schneider Electric, Aeron Group was able to avoid major grid works.
The Schneider Electric EcoStruxure EV Charging Expert Load Management System balances power demand across chargers in real-time, helping to prevent overload and reducing peak demand, all the while avoiding significant infrastructure upgrades.
“These facilities operate around the clock, so our priority was delivering reliable EV charging infrastructure without disrupting staff or patient services,” said Ben Espinoza, managing director at Aeron Group.
“Working with Schneider Electric’s technology, we were able to overcome ageing digital infrastructure and implement Dynamic Load Management to ensure safe, stable and scalable charging.”
The EV charging infrastructure upgrades are in pursuit of the state government’s Net Zero Government Operations policy, which requires all new NSW government passenger vehicles to be electric by 30 June 2030, with 50 per cent adoption by the middle of this year.
“NSW Health’s transition to electric vehicles is both a policy requirement and a health imperative,” said Tim Pratt, vice president for power products at Schneider Electric.
“Reducing transport emissions across hospital fleets directly contributes to cleaner air and healthier communities.”
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.