Australia is a vast nation of long highways and rugged country. But most of us live our lives close to home. We drive to a morning coffee, a school drop-off, or work.
As the electric vehicle (EV) market in Australia has evolved, so has our understanding of how we use this technology. Most Australians live in urban centres near the coast. And while we may have imagined driving hundreds of kilometres a day, in reality we’re surrounded by infrastructure that exists or is being built to suit the way we actually move.
Fast charging makes it easy to keep moving
Early charging stations used older technology that delivered a slower charge, called level 1 or “slow trickle” charging. To fully juice an EV could take a number of hours.
These days, charging networks such as Chargefox and Jolt provide stations that use level 3 rapid charging, which can deliver a much faster charge, taking some EVs from almost empty to 80% charged in less than half an hour. That makes it viable to stop for a quick boost on a hectic day running around town.
Photograph: Jolt
Michael Selden is head of sales and platforms at Jolt, a free and fast-charging network that is expanding across Australia.
“We see the role Jolt plays being for drivers to come in and get a quick, free top-up charge,” he says. “We give out 7 kWh of free energy to drivers each day, which covers the average daily needs of Australians. We’re helping with that daily use, so people work it into their habitual movements, stop somewhere convenient during their day-to-day routine, and charge. Jolt has already delivered more than 3.5 million kilometres of driving range to Australian drivers to date.”
Most charging happens at home – but city dwellers need greater access
About 70% of Australians live in houses with off-street parking. That means the majority of us have access to home charging: we can plug in our car overnight and know it will be ready to go in the morning.
To cater for the other 30% of Australians, more public charging stations are being installed. Selden says a significant part of Jolt’s plan is to grow its network in areas with more apartment living, where drivers need alternatives.
“Those people rely more heavily on public charging infrastructure,” he says. Jolt focuses on what it calls “cultural hubs” in urban areas: “Places that people will travel to multiple times a week,” Selden says. “We’re targeting our chargers to be installed so people can stop in, then go about their daily needs while their car is getting a charge.”
Australians have historically named range anxiety as a key barrier to buying an EV, but that’s changing. Jeff Mannering, director of Audi Australia, says the conversation is moving on to how quickly and efficiently the charging can happen.
Photograph: Audi
While the focus is often on charging technology, such as level 3 charging, there is another factor to consider: different batteries can take different amounts of charge. The higher the rate, the faster it all happens.
“An Audi e-tron can take up to 270 kilowatts of charge,” Mannering says. “It means you can charge from 5% to about 80% in under 25 minutes.”
The e-tron also has fluid-cooled battery technology, which allows the vehicle to be prepared for charging while still on the road.
EV manufacturers are putting their own stamp on charging networks. Audi has developed a partnership with charging network Chargefox, allowing the manufacturer to offer free charging with every new EV purchased. As well as having access to fast charging stations at Audi dealerships, new Audi owners get an Audi-Chargefox membership that provides up to six years of free charging for their new car.
It’s a strategy that Jolt supports. “In the early days of EV uptake,” Selden says, “it’s been important for OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], the likes of Audi, to have these partnerships to help give confidence in the charging that’s available.”
Governments are working to support infrastructure
The rapid rollout of chargers must move even faster if the Australian EV market is to hit its targets, Selden says. “People understand the benefits of EVs being zero emissions or low emissions technologies,” he says.
The federal government recently launched its National Electric Vehicle Strategy, a roadmap towards increasing EV uptake by removing barriers including insufficient infrastructure. Mannering says a strategic shift in infrastructure can help Australia keep up with the rest of the world.
“Transport is one of the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions,” he says. “The mind shift of the government is heading back towards the Paris accord and highlighting that the environment is an extremely important topic.”
The UK has ruled that new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles cannot be sold after 2030, and Mannering believes Australia will more than likely follow suit with similar regulations. For its part, Audi says it will launch its last new ICE vehicle in 2026, and produce only full-electric vehicles from 2033. “The industry is in transition to electric,” Mannering says.
Selden is confident the continued growth of charging networks will help Australians feel good about switching to an EV.
“Charge point operators are playing a part in giving Australians confidence,” he says. “They can drop in without that fear of being stuck somewhere or running out of power. We’re giving them somewhere just to juice up their battery and keep moving.”
