BMW are partnering with Westfield to add 40 new Electric Vehicle charging stations. They’ll be located in 10 Westfield shopping centres across NSW, QLD and VIC. They’ll be installed and operational by March next year and if you’re near Westfield Bondi Junction, Chatswood, Miranda, Sydney, Warringah Mall, Carindale, Chermside, Doncaster and Southland, you’re in luck.
If you own an EV that uses the J1772 connector standard, you’ll get to use the recharge stations for free, meaning you can recharge while you do the shopping. Australia’s EV fleet has grown to around 8,000 with sales increasing, expectations are that as many as 35,000 EVs are expected on Australian roads by 2024.
Again we see private companies solving the infrastructure problem for electric vehicles, rather than Government investment. The problem with electric and hybrid vehicles is that we still have multiple recharge standards floating around. If you’re in a Tesla or a Renault, you won’t be able to use these 40 recharge stations and that bloody crazy. If you’ve got a Mitsubishi, Volvo, Porsche, Nissan and of course BMW, then you’re in luck.
Tim Roberts, General Manager Leasing, Scentre Group says,
“We’re very excited to partner with BMW Group Australia to bring such a comprehensive network of EV charging stations to our customers.
This is all about convenience for the growing number of EV drivers in our local communities. EV drivers will be able to identify charging station locations in our centres via the ChargePoint app, online or through their BMW navigation system.”
CEO of BMW Australia, Marc Werner says,
“The new charging stations at Westfield locations is another way BMW is providing mobility solutions to our customers as BMW i electric vehicles gain momentum in the Australian market,”
Internationally, BMW are having some pretty good success with their i range of cars. The smaller i3 and the supercar i8 combine to number in excess of 100,000 units sold in the last 3 years.
More information at CarAdvice
