Leaders in the automotive industry say caravan park operators need to start thinking about the flow-on effects of electric vehicles (EVs) and how an increase in the demand for vehicle charging may impact electricity costs.
Royal Automobile Association (RAA) senior manager of mobility and automotive policy Mark Borlace said the RAA hoped to work with the industry to ensure caravan park operators were aware of the potential costs.
"What we're saying is we've got to think it through and work with the industry to ensure operators don't go broke trying to spend too much money on infrastructure," he said.
Caravan Industry Association of Australia general manager Luke Chippindale said many parks were already thinking about the future, with a focus on their infrastructure needs and financial implications.
"We understand that parks have started installing EV charging points and many are doing so from an individual perspective — in terms of having to look for a point of difference for themselves," he said.
According to Mr Chippindale, drive tourism accounted for around 75 per cent of all tourism in regional areas.
Consequently, Mr Chippindale hoped governments at all levels would support the development of charging infrastructure across the country.
"Charging infrastructure and activating the accommodation sector to install charging points is crucial to helping the long-term regional tourism recovery," he said.
"We know that EV owners base their road trip holidays on where they can charge their vehicles and being able to provide that infrastructure, not only along the way, but when they get to their destination is a massive thing for regional tourism."
In South Australia, the RAA was awarded a $12.4 million state government grant to construct 140 fast and rapid charging sites across the state.
Who foots the bill?
Mr Borlace said caravan operators were also uniquely placed to help drive access to charging stations despite the transition to electric vehicles still being at an early stage.
"It's embryonic … EVs are still less than 1 per cent of our vehicles on the road, so the industry has got a bit of time to adjust to how they're going to run their businesses in the future," he said.
But Mr Chippindale said installing new infrastructure was not the only change facing operators.
Caravan parks also needed to consider the projected increase in the number of cars drawing electricity from sites, and the flow-on effects this would have on how they charged customers.
"Each operator will need to look at it from an individual business scenario, in terms of whether or not they then draw down from the electricity grid themselves, whether they have solar panels that help to offset electricity costs, and then that flows on to how they charge the end user or the customer," Mr Chippindale said.
"Is it absorbed as part of the park's business plan, is there a slight tariff put on their room, or is it a bit of a donation?"
Allan Withers operates the Hillview Caravan Park in the Limestone Coast.
He said he did not see many electric vehicles pass through his park now, but he had started to think about his electricity costs and how EVs might impact his business in the future.
"We're starting to all talk about it now, and we're starting to see a few more of the vehicles coming through … as time goes on, we'll be seeing a lot more," he said.
While Mr Withers did not operate a dedicated EV charging station on site, he said customers were free to trickle charge their vehicles overnight.
"We pay anything from 26 cents a kilowatt to 46 cents in peak times. When you multiply that out, it's around $12 every night per car," he said.
"If you multiply it by a dozen cars or more, it quickly adds up … so it's definitely something we need to look at for sure."
