Victoria really needs good news right now and an investment in the future is a great place to start. One of the biggest hurdles for people to transition to EVs is the charging infrastructure.
While you can charge slowly overnight in your garage, it’s fast chargers that are really the key to long-distance travel. This could involve longer daily commutes, but typically weekend road trips or even holidays which deliver that important tourism dollar.
The Victorian Government is investing A$664,000 to build 15 new fast-charging stations in the North West of Victoria. As someone with an EV who lives in the North East of the state, this news would definitely encourage me to take a drive in the direction (as soon as we can).
The funding is part of the Government’s $2.7 billion Building Works package.
Australian Governments have often got a bad wrap for not investing in renewable energy. While there’s always scope to do more, it is important to recognise and celebrate progress when it happens.
The new charging stations will be located in rural centres including Ouyen, Swan Hill, Kerang, Maryborough and Echuca, as well as smaller rural towns and key tourist sites.
The new sites were identified as priority locations in the Charging the Regions report undertaken by the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance and local governments.
Compare that map to the current state of play on EV charging site, PlugShare. You can see there are current long distances of hundreds of km between fast-charging locations (orange icons) in the North-West of Victoria.
While there are a couple littered along the NSW side of the border, it looks like it’ll be quite a while before we’re allowed back on that side of the border.
“The new electric vehicle charging stations will put this region on the map for electric vehicles – connecting Melbourne to Mildura and unlocking north west Victoria for electric vehicle tourists and locals alike.
More Victorians will be driving electric vehicles in the future, that’s why we’re building the infrastructure to meet this demand.”
Minister for Energy, the Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
This new funding builds on the $3 million already invested by the Victorian Government to set up 30 electric vehicle charging stations across Victoria in Euroa, Barnawartha North, Moe, Torquay, Ballarat, Horsham and Melbourne.
The Victorian Government is developing a Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap, to be released later this year. It will provide a roadmap for transitioning to zero emissions vehicles and supports our goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
“The increased uptake of electric vehicles has clear benefits for local communities, and building these stations will create local jobs and deliver an important economic boost for Victoria’s north west.
Building charging stations in regional areas will boost tourism, reduce carbon emissions and help us build a cleaner, more sustainable future.”
Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp
