Electric vehicle drivers will soon be able to travel through the Queensland outback, with dozens of new charging stations set to be rolled out.
The Sunshine State's so-called Electric Super Highway will expand inland to mining town Mount Isa in the north and Cunnamulla near the NSW border, with 24 new stations planned.
"The first charging station to open as part of the phase three will be at Kingaroy in August," Energy and Renewables Minister Mick de Brenni said on Sunday.
"Other stations including Longreach, Cloncurry and Stanthorpe will open in the coming months."
Mr de Brenni said the rising cost of fuel and supply chain challenges had increased the urgency for more affordable and clean energy options.
"Queenslanders are acutely aware of the current global challenges driving up the costs of transport, so developing Australia's sovereign energy independence through more locally made energy is making more economic sense than ever," he said.
Charging stations already stretch along the state's coast, allowing electric vehicle drivers to travel from Coolangatta near the NSW border to Cairns in the tropical north.
The phase three rollout will make the charging network almost 5400km long.
It comes as Queensland's electric vehicle fleet grows to 10,161 cars and buses, up from 525 in 2017.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the uptake had been accelerated by the state's $55 million zero-emissions vehicle strategy, which includes a $3000 purchase rebate for some vehicles.
"Every day I'm talking to more and more Queenslanders driving electric vehicles, and they're telling me they love driving them," he said.
"It is a fantastic achievement."
