Australia’s electric vehicle story has a long way to go and part of that story is answering the challenge of charging options for those who don’t have off-street parking.
A new announcement today by Endeavour Energy helps those in Western Sydney with more than 230 EV charging stations to be installed by 2025. These will be located on existing Endeavour Energy streetside substations, in partnership with JOLT.
Endeavour Energy has around 2.6 million customers throughout NSW, and their partnership with JOLT will include the first 7kWh of charging for free at charging stations across Western Sydney.
I’ll debate the ‘fast’ branding on this announcement, with the chargers only capable of a 25 kW DC charging rate, tiny compared to the fastest 350kW available. They do however provide a good price breakdown of what EV owners can expect to pay depending on the level of charger they select.
- Level 1 Home Charging Stations usually cost about $0.15 -0.30 per kWh
- Level 2 Public Charging Stations usually charge about $0.20 – $0.25 per kWh
- Level 3 Public Charging Stations usually charge about $0.30 – $0.60 per kWh
The 230 committed to now is just the start, with the number expected to grow to more than 1,000 chargers over the next decade throughout the partnership.
Endeavour Energy’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Leanne Pickering, said the first charging stations are expected to be operating by the end of this year.
In a world where we are ‘electrifying everything’, our customers are depending on us to support their daily life – for commuting, working remotely, for education and entertainment.
The partnership with JOLT harnesses the exciting momentum around EVs as people see the benefits of contribution to the environment through reducing carbon emissions and cleaner air.
Endeavour Energy’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Leanne Pickering
Endeavour Energy forecasts that one in four of its customers will be driving an EV within the next 10 years.
By 2040 it’s predicted there will be around 1.3 million electric cars in the Endeavour Energy network which covers Sydney’s Greater West, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, the Illawarra, and NSW South Coast.
Providing free charging in more urban locations will allow more people into the EV market, especially those who don’t have off-street charging.
JOLT CEO, Doug McNamee, said he was excited to be expanding JOLT’s network across NSW with Endeavour Energy to help solve the key barriers to EV adoption such as access to charging, cost and range anxiety, at a time of growth in the area.
We’re thrilled to be expanding our footprint to the wider Sydney area and provide free, fast charging to more EV drivers through our partnership with Endeavour Energy.
Our communities want greater accessibility and more EV chargers to be able to charge on the go. In the last 2 years alone, the JOLT network has given out over 162,000 free kilometres to EV drivers across Australia. We’re delighted to begin stage one of our plans with Endeavour Energy to help electrify the future of transportation.
JOLT CEO, Doug McNamee
The decision to target Western Sydney is a strategic one, with the location nominated as a key growth corridor, particularly with the Western Sydney Airport on track to being operations in 2026.
We are building a modern grid that can support the sustainability aspirations of every customer on our network – from large scale commercial solar farms to resident battery storage and an EV charging network.
Endeavour Energy’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Leanne Pickering
Across the JOLT EV charging network, all-electric vehicle drivers will have access to 7kWh of free charging per day, providing around 40 to 50 km of range and a 15-minute charging time, depending on the type of vehicle.
You should be aware that there is a nominal fee to motivate you to move your vehicle once charged, it’ll cost you $5 for every 30 minutes that customers overstay.
One common issue raised by the anti-EV crowd is the source of energy. Thankfully the answer is easy here, JOLT’s chargers are powered by 100% GreenPower, fulfilling its commitment to powering Australia’s renewable energy transition.
