158 new 50kW charging locations for expanding Evie network

August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 Toby Hagon 4388 Views

EV fast charging network Evie has announced plans to install more than 300 50kW DC fast chargers at 158 locations across Australia.

The chargers will be the latest RTM model from Brisbane-based industry leader Tritium and each will supply up to 50kW of power

Locations for the broad charging network will be focused on metropolitan locations.

Those Tritium chargers are modular and will initially be fitted with two 25kW modules, but a third can be added boosting the output to 75kW.

“We’ve started at 50kW because that’s what the market needs right now; metropolitan is largely about top-up charging,” said Evie marketing and sales chief Geoff Brady. “It gives us a chance to stay future-proofed with our infrastructure and keep aligned with the customer needs over time.”

The project is slated to cost $25.61 million, of which $8.85 million is being supplied by the government’s Future Fuels Fund and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

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“We’re very pleased to see federal government support for the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” said Tritium CEO Jane Hunter. “While the e-mobility industry does not require subsidies to support the transition from petrol cars to EVs, it benefits greatly from governments indicating their support for the change via policy statements, which enables public confidence when buying a new car.”

The Evie Networks expansion is the largest of five projects recently awarded funding by ARENA and comes off the back of a recent announcement by Ampol (the rebranded Caltex) to team with Evie in delivering charging stations within existing petrol/diesel service stations.

Evie rapid charging point at a Caltex (Ampol) service station in Taree NSW

The planned ARENA charging network investment is designed to cover 14 of Australia’s most populous cities and will deliver a total of 403 station locations predominantly centred around capital cities.

“This expansion across all of Australia’s capital cities will accelerate access to quality fast EV charging for more Australians,” said Evie Networks CEO Chris Mills. “Our sites will be prepared for the future with this advanced and upgradeable technology from Tritium.”

Evie claims it is building the largest fast charging network in the country. That network is planned to incorporate 42 ultra-fast 350kW chargers, 15 of which are already in operation (most are down the east coast of Australia).

All of which is good news for Tritium, which sells its chargers across the world.

“It’s fantastic to see this scale of charging infrastructure being deployed in Australia,”said Tritium’s Hunter. “It will help reduce range anxiety and encourage EV uptake, which is lagging behind other developed countries.”