One of the largest EV charging networks in Australia, Evie Networks has revealed their full set charging locations.
At the AEVA EV Expo this weekend, the planned locations for all 42 sites were revealed. The distribution is made up of 14 in NSW, 8 in QLD, 2 in the ACT, 8 in VIC, 4 in SA, and 3 in TAS and WA.
As a new EV owner, I’m pretty stoked to see Albury Wodonga get another ultra-fast charging location. This means there will soon be 3 locations that can deliver seriously fast charging to Model 3 owners and 2 for vehicles from other auto makers that use the CCS2 or CHAdeMO charging standards.
This Evie Networks charging location in Albury, adds to the 6-bay Tesla Supercharger in Wodonga and the 4-bay Chargefox Ultra-fast chargers at Barawartha.
So what makes Albury Wodonga so popular? The city is perfectly positioned 320km from Melbourne, 347km from Canberra, making it a great stopover point for those travelling along the Hume Highway from Sydney (563km away).
Those of us who travel between Melbourne and Wodonga, will appreciate the inclusion of an ultra-fast charging location at Seymour (115km from Melbourne). This compliments the charging options at Euroa (164km from Melbourne).
While having a couple of towns with chargers, doesn’t quite match the number of service stations between Wodonga and Melbourne, it’s certainly enough to provide options for your road trip, should you need to stop and charge.
The Ultra-Fast Charging Network is said to compliment the Ultra-fast Chargefox network also being rolled out across Australia, predominantly aligning with the east-coast. It seems the charging companies are playing like frenemies, at least for now.
As we see more crossover of charging maps, it helps consumers by offering more places to charge and lowering the likelihood of all chargers being busy. Hopefully, in time to come, increased competition will help bring down the cost of taking kW.
Each of the Evie charge locations will feature at least two Tritium Pty Ltd 350kW chargers, the fastest available in the southern hemisphere. These can add as much as 350km of range in just 15 minutes. While there are currently no cars on the market that can charge at that rate, but it makes sense to overbuild now, to set up for the future. Each of the sites will also feature 2x 50kW DC fast charging.
The network of recharging locations means that those who live on the east coast (a majority of the Australian population) won’t have to travel more than 150km to the next charger.
For the past few years, there’s been somewhat of a chicken and egg problem with EVs and charging locations in Australia. It seems both the price and range of electric vehicles is being solved at the same time the charging locations are being resolved. This combination should provide a powerful platform for EV sales throughout 2020 and beyond.
The Government often gets criticised for not doing enough when it comes to renewable energy. It is worth appreciating that the Evie charging network received $15 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). ARENA was established by the Australian Government back in July 2012 to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia.
Evie plans officially open the first site in a couple of weeks time, with a further 10 sites planned to be operational by the end of Q1 2020.
Via The Driven.
