Free kerbside electric vehicle charging station opens in Sydney

Sydney residents will now be able to get up to 7kWh of charge for their electric vehicles, thanks to a new kerbside station.

Opening in the Northern Beaches suburb of Mona Vale, the electric vehicle (EV) kiosk provides 7kWh of electricity for free each day, taking roughly 15 minutes to charge and equating to around 45 kilometres of driving range.

It’s the first of many kiosks being rolled out across the city, with common streetside electricity ‘green boxes’ being converted into recharging stations – thanks to a collaboration between electricity company Ausgrid and energy firm Jolt Charge.

“We’re using existing, essential electrical infrastructure on the street to provide a free service for the community and hopefully to help accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in Australia,” Ausgrid Chief Customer Officer Rob Amphlett Lewis said at the launch.

“People will be able to pull up, plug in and be on their way in 15 minutes.”

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Jolt CEO Doug McNamee says it could save drivers more than $1000 annually.

“Jolt’s partnership with Ausgrid helps solve the major barriers affecting the uptake of EVs, including access to charging, cost and range anxiety,” McNamee said.

“In the last 12 months, EV ownership has skyrocketed, almost doubling to 23,000 new registrations, representing the second year in a row where the total number of electric vehicles has almost doubled.”

In August 2021, BlackRock – the world’s largest asset management business – acquired a stake in Jolt Charge, with $100 million of capital being provided to help fund 5000 new free charging kiosks across the country.

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It’s understood the agreement is the largest corporate investment in EV infrastructure in Australia.

Jolt says it’s just the beginning, with the company promising $500 million will be invested in its nationwide charging network in the coming years.

The new EV kiosk is located on Bungan Street, Mona Vale, with 7kWh provided for free each day to customers that sign up to the Jolt smartphone app, with additional charge available to purchase.

Jolt says the next station will open in Strathfield, and will be followed by sites in Randwick and Hornsby.