ONE of the biggest stumbling blocks to owning an electric vehicle in Australia is a major step closer to being removed.
Local start-up Chargefox has announced it will build the very first nationwide charging network after successfully raising $15 million from investors.
Each rapid charge station will be open to all kinds of vehicles and deliver a range of 400 kilometres in just 15 minutes.
The initial rollout of the project includes 21 locations across the country, with the first stations located in Euroa and Barnawartha North in Victoria.
Analysis earlier this year found Australia is the worst-equipped country in the world for electric vehicle owners.
The UK firm GoCompare found the ratio of cars per changing point is one of the highest and the number of public charging stations one of the lowest.
“Additionally, there are a shocking 14.3 petrol stations to each publicly accessible electric car charging point,” the report said.
“Australia has been one of the slowest countries to adapt to electric cars.”
Chargefox chief executive officer Marty Andrews said an investment in infrastructure is a critical part of removing “one of the major barriers” to people buying an electric vehicle.
“Chargefox is committed to sustainable mobility. The charging stations will enable all modern EV drivers to confidently drive between Australia’s major cities,” Mr Andrews said.
“We have a vision that one day 100 per cent of road transport will be powered by renewable energy and from day one our ultra-rapid chargers will be accessible to all Australian drivers.”
But the dream could be quite a way off.
The most important factor affecting a consumer’s decision to go electric is the state of a public recharging network, according to research by the University of New South Wales.
“This was far more important than the availability of cheaper vehicles, the second most cited barrier to uptake,” report co-author Professor Graciela Matternicht said.
Behyad Jafari, chief executive of the Electric Vehicle Council, said Australia lagged about a decade behind the rest of the world in encouraging take-up.
“While everybody else has access to a broad range of charging infrastructure, different priced models of electric vehicles and a lot of investment supporting the industry, Australia isn’t getting any of those benefits,” Mr Jafari said.
The technology is still relatively new and the price points quite high, but Australians are intrigued by electric cars.
A survey conducted by Roy Morgan of more than 37,000 motorists found half would seriously consider buying a hybrid or fully electric vehicle.
“There were 2284 electric vehicles sold in Australia in 2017, representing a 67 per cent increase from the previous year,” Mr Jafari said.
According to a report by Climate Works, there was a 56 per cent global increase in electric car sales in 2017.
The Chargefox funding included investments by The Australian Mobility Clubs, Wilson Transformers and the founder of Carsales, Greg Roebuck, as well as grants from Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Victorian Government.
Extracted from News.com.au