2 days ago
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A bundle of new EV chargers opened today in Sydney's inner-west will be free to use for the next few months.
Almost 40 new pole-mounted electric car chargers are now available for use along kerbsides in Sydney’s inner-western suburbs, with charging offered for free until 31 January next year.
The 39 chargers are part of 149 in total being installed across New South Wales through a partnership between energy giant AGL and infrastructure solutions firm Plus ES.
Funding for the units comes from NSW Government grants, with an additional 242 chargers planned through other separate ventures.
Until 31 January 2025, charging at all of the 39 sites – which include places such as Birchgrove, Balmain, Lewisham, Stanmore and Newtown – will be free to encourage more people to safely top up their batteries without having to resort to riskier methods.
According to AGL, 30 per cent of NSW drivers lack access to private off-street parking, with increasing numbers of media reports showing owners are finding dangerous ways to charge their cars – such as running extension cords over trees, across footpaths, or even through drain pipes – when off-street charging isn’t an option.
“We expect that by deploying safe, accessible, kerbside EV charging into the community will encourage those that are unable to charge at home to make their next car purchase an EV. Importantly, by using existing power poles we can do it efficiently, keeping costs and community disruption to a minimum,” said Rob Amphlett Lewis, Group Executive of Distributed Services at Plus ES.
On November 11, 2024, a BYD owner residing in Newcastle copped online backlash over their dangerous at-home charging set-up.
A listener sent a photo to The Ray Hadley Morning Show on radio station 2GB depicting a BYD Atto 3 SUV being charged on the street, with the vehicle's charging cord running through a storm drain.
AGL Chief Customer Officer Jo Egan said using power poles that are already safely maintained and prevalent in the public domain also means fewer dedicated EV charger spaces are needed.
“We know that the availability of public charging can be a barrier to people choosing to purchase an EV, so by installing these 149 chargers in Sydney, we hope to create greater convenience for those already with EVs and reduce barriers to future adoption.
“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.”
Earlier this month, EV charging firm Jolt announced it is installing its first fast charger in the Melbourne beach-side suburb of Black Rock, with other sites including Sandringham Library, Highett Station, Black Street carpark in Brighton, Mills Street in Hampton and Seaview shops in Beaumaris, set to follow.
The 50kW DC fast chargers will be installed in existing parking bays at Bayside Council car parks and in on-street parking spots, with drivers able to nab 7kWh of free charging every 24 hours.
A born-and-bred newshound, Kathryn has worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two renowned UK regional newspapers and websites, before moving on to join the digital newsdesk of one of the world’s most popular newspapers – The Sun. More recently, she’s done a short stint in PR in the not-for-profit sector, and led the news team at Wheels Media.
