Australian Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
The Federal Government aims to cut down dirty energy sources and reduce transport sector GHG emissions with the Electric Vehicle (EV) uptake, and providing suitable charging infrastructure. The current state of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure can provide charging needs for most EV drivers, but as this number grows, a larger infrastructure is required.
What is the Current State of the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Australia?
The electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Australia has been steadily growing at a rapid pace, almost doubling its capacity in less than two years. As of June 2022, Australia had 2,147 active public charging stations (locations with chargers) and 3,669 individual public EV chargers in service (individual chargers within these charging stations), growing 56% from the previous 1,376 in 2020.
These charging stations feature different charging networks, power levels, current types (AC/DC), and locations.
What is the Distribution for the Public Charging Locations?
The 2,147 charging locations are distributed in the country as follows:
- EV charging stations in New South Wales (NSW): 647
- EV charging stations in Victoria (VIC): 455
- EV charging stations in Queensland (QLD): 368
- EV charging stations in Western Australia (WA): 294
- EV charging stations in South Australia (SA): 210
- EV charging stations in Tasmania (TAS): 110
- EV charging stations in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT): 40
- EV charging stations in Northern Territory (NT): 23
Finding public charging stations is extremely easy. You can get the exact location for all EV charging stations in the country using this Australian EV Charger Map.
Please note these figures are rapidly changing, and are valid as of November 2022.
What Types of EV Chargers are Available for Public Usage?
The Australian electric vehicle-charging infrastructure features different types of individual public EV chargers available. These are usually categorised by their power level and current type.
Regular EV charging stations feature AC or DC power to charge the vehicles. The power level for these charging stations goes up to 24 kW.
Fast EV charging locations feature individual EV chargers that use DC power to charge the vehicle. The power level for these EV chargers goes from 24 kW up to 99 kW DC.
Ultrafast EV charging stations in Australia feature the highest power level chargers in the EV infrastructure. These chargers use DC power with a power level of 100 kW or above.
How Are Public EV Charging Stations Distributed and How Fast Will They Charge Your EV?
EV charging stations in Australia are distributed across the different Australian states and regions. Table 1 shows a reference of the number and regions where all Regular, Fast, and Ultrafast EV charging point locations can be found. We will also explain how fast these chargers will fill up your battery.
Table 1 shows a brief reference of all types of public EV charging stations across all the states of Australia.
Regular
There are 1,791 regular EV charging stations in Australia. The power level for regular EV chargers goes up to 24 kW. It takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes for a 24 kW EV charger to charge a 60 kWh battery like the one in the Tesla Model 3. Many of these at public charging stations will be three-phase EV chargers.
Fast
There are barely 274 Fast EV charging locations across Australia. These EV chargers deliver from 24 kW up to 99 kW to your EV. To charge the 60 kWh battery with a fast EV charger it would take 2 hours and 30 minutes for 24 kW EV chargers and 36 minutes for 99 kW chargers.
Ultrafast
There are few Ultrafast EV charging locations in Australia, only 82 of them!
Using a 100 kW Ultrafast EV charger or higher will get the battery for your EV charged from 0% to 80% in less than 30 minutes. The remaining battery will charge at different power rates as shown in Figure 4.
Do All Public EV Charging Stations Feature Multiple EV Chargers in Service?
Having 2,147 EV charging locations seems like enough, but there is a problem: most of them are deployed with a single charger for each charging site.
A single EV charger per location can potentially create queuing issues as the EV uptake increases, forcing EV drivers to go from one place to another looking for a free spot to charge. Around 70% of Fast and Ultrafast EV chargers located in the EV charging infrastructure in Australia feature a single charger per site.
What Are the Main EV Charging Networks in Australia?
The main ones are Chargefox, Evie Networks, Tesla Supercharger Network, Jolt, and AmpCharge.
Chargefox
Chargefox is the main charging network available across the EV charging infrastructure in Australia, featuring EV chargers with power levels of 4 kW up to 350 kW. Fees on this charging network vary on location; you can check the mobile app for a specific amount per site.
Evie Networks
Evie Networks chargers available in the Australian EV infrastructure, feature 50 - 350 kW Fast and Ultrafast charging stations. The cost to charge at this charging network goes from $0.40/kWh up to $0.60/kWh.
Tesla Supercharger Network
Tesla offers the Tesla Supercharger Network exclusively for Tesla EVs, featuring 120 – 250 kW DC chargers that help take some pressure from the Australian electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The charging fee varies on location considering the number of users per station and other criteria.
Jolt
Jolt is the fourth most important EV charging network in the Australian electric vehicle charging infrastructure. This charger network has 25 kW DC chargers that feature different costs, but the first 7 kWh charged is free.
AmpCharge
AmpCharge is the sibling company developed by the fuel giant Ampol. This charging network installs 150 kW EV chargers at their petrol stations, available for a flat rate of $0.69/kWh. The good news is that all AmpCharge EV chargers run on green energy.
What Will the Australian EV Charging Infrastructure Look Like in the Following Years?
The current EV charging infrastructure in Australia supplies the needs of most Australian EV drivers, however, it needs to grow further to keep up the pace with the Australian EV uptake.
There are many investments and projects set in place to increase the availability of EV charging stations in Australia, including as well grants and incentives for EV owners. Some of these include the $25.5 million capital in the JET Charge EV infrastructure, the new 98 EV charging stations to be installed in WA by Synergy, the NSW EV charging strategy, the ENGIE project to install 103 fast charging stations across 4 Australian regions with a project cost of $22.64 million, and many others.
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Carlos is an Electrical Engineer with a background in solar PV designs for residential and commercial projects as well as power systems development. Carlos is a fan of new green technologies and electric cars, and is a technical writer for papers, articles and research in topics related to sustainability and the electric vehicle industry.
