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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Damon Cronshaw

Charging into rising electric vehicle sector

Ryan Wilcox installs and sells chargers for electric vehicles. He's shown here with a charger and Tesla in Hamilton. Picture by Simone De Peak

Electrician Ryan Wilcox has made the move to specialise in electric vehicle charging, as he seeks to capitalise on a growing market while helping the planet.

"I'm just trying to spread the love of EVs [electric vehicles]. That's really what I'm about," said Mr Wilcox, of Wallsend.

"Obviously I do need to make money out of it in some fashion, but I'm giving people advice about purchasing an EV and the most cost-effective way to charge it."

His business, Fixer Electrical, is still in the embryonic stage but he has begun installing chargers for electric vehicles.

He started the business in February after leaving his job as a project manager for an electrical company in Newcastle. He had a desire to strike out on his own and do something different.

"It's also about being cleaner and greener. If you can do your part to help start the transition, then why not?"

He aims to sell people a charger and install it.

"That's the dream," he said.

"I've made a couple of arrangements with retailers for wholesale pricing. So it makes it a bit more competitive than buying one off the shelf and having a regular sparky put it in.

"I can do it for a better price and I know what I'm talking about."

As well as installing chargers in people's homes, he also has business on the radar.

In May, the NSW government announced $20 million in grants for "destination charging" in regional NSW.

They're aimed at motels, wineries, cafes, restaurants, attractions, visitor information centres, museums and zoos. The grants pay 75 per cent of the cost of chargers and installation, and half the software costs for two years.

Local government areas in the Hunter are eligible for the grants, except for Newcastle as it is not considered a regional area.

The NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy aims to increase EV sales to 52 per cent of all new car sales by 2030-31, and the vast majority by 2035.

A Tesla Cybertruck.

Commercial offices are also expected to increasingly install chargers for new EV fleets and workers' vehicles.

Mr Wilcox said it made sense for people and businesses to upgrade to EVs, given "there's no fuel costs and almost no servicing costs".

"I'm hoping to buy an electric vehicle this or next financial year. I'm waiting until they release some electric utes in the country," he said.

The Albanese government released a consultation paper in September for Australia's first National Electric Vehicle Strategy.

Public comment closes on the paper on October 31.

Mr Wilcox believes it won't be too long before a cap on petrol cars is introduced, enabling the electric vehicle market to take off.

The Tesla Cybertruck.
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