This afternoon South Australia got a nice little announcement courtesy of Tesla and the Premiere Jay Weatherill. The company announced a growth in their recharging network that will see 50 charging locations across the state. While the east coast of Australia finds itself in a well connected position, South Australia’s connection to the east coast now grows stronger, with Tesla owners easily able to make the drive without fear of finding a recharge location.
Officially opened Adelaide's new Electric Vehicle Charging Hub today. @tesla superchargers first of a network of 50 charge points across SA pic.twitter.com/9qaAa8P1xc
— Jay Weatherill (@JayWeatherill) September 27, 2017
When we look a little further to the greatest challenge (driving from Melbourne to Perth) there’s still some work to do, but the additional SA charging locations will go a long way. On the left, we see the challenge, basically a 1,200 km journey from the closest SA charge location to the nearest WA charger. Today, that’s basically double the range the best Tesla can manage. Of course if you’re planning on staying overnight for a dozen or so hours, you can charge from 240v power outlets, but to make the east coast to west coast road trip a reality, there needs to be more recharge locations.
Premiere Weatherill has posted more detail on today’s announcements. We now know that the City of Adelaide is a hub for South Australia’s electric vehicle charging network with eight fast charging stations that opened today. These are located within a new dedicated electric vehicle (EV) parking area (just another perk of being an early adopter), adjacent to the Central Market precinct.
An additional 11 charging stations will be installed in the Adelaide Central Market UPark by the end of November. In an effort to be carbon neutral the City of Adelaide and Government of SA have collaborated with SA Power Networks, Mitsubishi and Tesla to offer super-fast direct current (DC) charging services.
Mitsubishi is involved as well, with a dedicated Electric Vehicle Charging Hub (the Hub) on Franklin Street that can fully charge a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The comical part of Mitsubishi’s offering is that the Outlander only has a tiny 52 kilometres range on a single charge. Given the small batteries, it can be charged in 30 minutes. If you need to get groceries this is fine, but this is exactly why hybrids are a joke and barely worth a mention. Any serious auto manufacturer understands all-electric is the future and we need to stop screwing around with stop-gap technology.
The Hub at Franklin street will house further Tesla Superchargers, the fastest charging solution in Australia, providing 270km of range with just 30 minutes of charging on the Model S and Model X. The Tesla superchargers are the first of a network of 50 charging points across South Australia, and form part of the agreement between the State Government and Tesla to deliver the world’s largest lithium ion battery, to be built at Jamestown. If you’re in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, you can now go for an all-electric drive to go see the big battery (Australia’s latest tourist attraction).
Ok now for the price. The City of Adelaide’s charging stations will offer free charging services until the end of November 2017. No word on pricing charges after that date. For Tesla, you can expect the standard pricing structures, but good luck with the Mitsubishi.
These provide a central link to electric vehicle charging services on Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Adelaide Hills and Clare Valley. Tesla superchargers will also be installed at the Clare Country Club and in Keith and Horsham to form an 865 kilometre link to Melbourne and the Tesla supercharger network that currently extends to Brisbane. A further 25 EV charging stations will be installed in the City’s other UPark and in on-street locations by mid-2018.
Premier Jay Weatherill says,
Adelaide has the ambition of being the world’s first carbon neutral city, and we know that in the future, electric vehicles will be the preferred mode of transport.
That’s why we are leading the way by working with electric vehicle manufacturers to install these charging points in our city, and across the State.
These Tesla and Mitsubishi charging points are one step towards a decarbonised economy – enhancing our city’s reputation as one of the most liveable cities in the world.
Lord Mayor of Adelaide Martin Haese said,
Electric vehicles have strong, proven environmental, economic and social benefits, which include lower operating and maintenance costs, as well as less pollution.
The Adelaide Central Market Electric Vehicle Hub establishes the Adelaide CBD as the centre of South Australia’s emerging EV charging network and demonstrates Council’s commitment to encouraging the use of low-emission vehicles in the city.
The City of Adelaide is installing a further 25 EV charging stations on our streets and in our UParks to ensure drivers will never risk a flat battery whilst enjoying everything the city has to offer.
Mitsubishi Motors Australia CEO John Signoriello said,
Mitsubishi welcomes the commitment by Carbon Neutral Adelaide partnership to delivering a public charging hub for South Australian electric vehicle owners.
Mitsubishi has provided a fast charger at no-cost to the State as part of our commitment to supporting a public charging network for all electric vehicle users, we believe electric vehicle technology should be made available to the wider community.
