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The state says 98 per cent of its electric car fast chargers – of which it now has 144 – are within 200km of each other.
Electric Cars
South Australia claims to have become the the first Australian state with an electric car charging network that stretches from its west to east borders.
It's not quite border-to-border — there remain gaps of a few hundred kilometres near its western and northern borders – but South Australia says 98 per cent of sites are located less than 200km away from each other.
More than 75 per cent of charging stations are in regional areas, state authorities say.
With 144 charging stations equipped with more than 550 plugs running from Yalata to Mount Gambier, South Australia’s Royal Automobile Association (RAA) has implemented one of the country's most vast charging networks.
According to the RAA, it has installed more public fast chargers per registered EV than any other mainland state.
To date, the RAA charging network has provided more than 100,000 charging sessions; facilitating the use of over 2801 MWh of energy – equivalent to nearly 47,000 Tesla Model Y SUVs – to power a claimed 13 million-plus kilometres of driving.
The RAA claims the network has contributed to an estimated CO2 reduction of 830.6 tonnes.
“More than 130 small businesses and 40 councils across SA put their hands up to be site hosts and work with us on delivering this landmark project, which is a huge vote for the future of low carbon transport in our state," RAA CEO Nick Reade said in a media statement.
He said the RAA is the only charging station operator in SA to offer price incentives for drivers to charge during the day.
“By offering peak and standard pricing, we are providing drivers with an incentive charge during the day and save money, whilst shaping the charging behaviours we will need to support our future electricity grid,” Reade said.
South Australian Minister for Energy and Mining Tom Koutsantonis said RAA’s network could support the uptake of electric vehicles being driven.
The South Australian state government awarded the motoring body a grant of $12.35 million to construct and operate the statewide EV charging network.
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Ilana is a Melbourne-based journalist who was previously a copywriter in the Big Apple. Having moved to Melbourne for her Master of Journalism, she has written articles about food, farm machinery, fashion, and now the fast and furious. Her dream car has been a Mini Cooper since the fifth grade, eyeing its style and petite size.
