RACV Commercial Energy Solutions and electric vehicle (EV) charging company EVX are partnering up to bring kerbside EV chargers to Victoria, with the first two installations going online in the coming weeks.
The first chargers will be located in High Street and Warner Avenue in Ashburton, with further installations to be located within the cities of Port Phillip, Stonnington and Yarra in the greater Melbourne area.
All up, RACV and EVX plan to install up to 40 dual EVX chargers across the state, supported by a $2.4 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) that will see EVX install 250 chargers across over 60 local government areas in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
These chargers are installed directly onto existing utility poles, which EVX says provides flexibility for EV drivers who park on the street, including those who live in apartments or who lack private parking or the ability to install home chargers.
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Each EVX charging unit is Australian-designed and made and features dual 22kW sockets, allowing EV drivers to charge their vehicles using AC power.
EV drivers will need to download the EVX Australia app, which shows the chargers currently available, and scan a QR code to start charging. It costs $0.50 per kWh to charge a vehicle using an EVX charger.
EVX, which manufactures, installs and operates kerbside EV chargers, already has around 100 chargers throughout NSW and plans to install another 120 more across not only Victoria and NSW but also South Australia and the ACT, all within the next 10-12 months.
“Partnerships like this with RACV are helping us to accelerate the transition to EVs by providing a reliable, accessible, affordable and sustainable EV charging network across the country,” said EVX CEO Andrew Forster.
The company alone will soon have more than half – or 278 – of the kerbside chargers being rolled out across Sydney’s suburbs as part of a new grant program in NSW. It’s receiving 27 per cent of the total co-funding – $2.8 million – from the NSW Government.
The state government has announced plans to roll out 436 chargers across 130 suburbs, with the $2.8 million investment being accompanied by $2.2 million in private investment. In addition to EVX, Charge Post, Connected Kerb, Plus ES and EF Asset Management are receiving kerbside charging grants.
EVX is set to be the first kerbside charging provider in Victoria, but it may not be alone for long.
Victorian energy distributors CitiPower, Powercor and United Energy confirmed last year they plan to install, own and maintain kerbside chargers across 100 locations.
It has applied for a ring-fencing waiver from the Australian Energy Regulator to be able to install and maintain this infrastructure.
Should this plan be approved, the energy distributors will install 22kW single- and dual-port chargers on existing power poles, with a third-party charging company to manage interactions with customers.