EV charging stations to link regional Australia in $100m project

Following last month's announcement, the NRMA has revealed further details for its region-linking electric vehicle charging network, as well as revised figures.

It now promises to have around 130 DC fast-charging sites installed – each with four bays and up to 400kW power output capacity in total.

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The NRMA also confirmed the network will consist of a mix of charger models from Tritium, ABB and Kempower. It currently only uses Tritium, the Brisbane-founded company now known around the world for its charging systems.

The co-funded project with the federal government is now estimated to cost between $80 to $100 million.

April 2023: The Australian government has co-funded $39.3 million for public EV charging stations on key national highways.

The electric chargers will be positioned every 150 kilometres across regional and remote areas.

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State motoring club NRMA will contribute the remaining amount for the $100 million project, which will see 117 fast DC charging stations linking every state and territory across the nation by 2025.

Interestingly, the media conference announcing this project revealed that it would use ABB charging stations for the first time with CCS Type 2 and CHAdeMO charging plugs – instead of its current network of Brisbane-made Tritium units.

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While exact sites haven’t been finalised, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said it would offset ‘range anxiety’ for long-distance drivers.

“EVs aren’t just for the cities, and Australians who drive long distances either for work or for holidays should be able to reap the benefits of cars that are cheaper and cleaner to run,” Bowen said.

“This project will help close the gaps and known black spots in the network and make it possible to drive from Darwin to Perth, Broken Hill to Adelaide, and from Brisbane to Tennant Creek in the [Northern Territory].”

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The initiative is part of the federal government’s $500 million Driving the Nation Fund under the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The announcement comes as the government committed to setting a fuel efficiency standard later this year, which could penalise car manufacturers for exceeding a set average carbon emissions threshold for vehicles sold annually.

It aims to boost EV supply and model choice in Australia, which is often relegated down in the priority list for most carmakers due to a lack of an emissions standard compared to other developed countries, such as New Zealand, Europe, and the United States.

What EV charging locations are planned?

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