Government awards cash for EV chargers to be installed in NSW power poles

Fifty new electric car chargers will be installed in power poles in New South Wales, as part of a bid to make the technology more available to those without off-street parking.

On behalf of the Federal Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has today announced it is giving $871,000 in funding to utility services company Intellihub to install the EV chargers on street-side power poles across the state.

The top-up points will be found across nine local government areas – the Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick, Lake Macquarie, Ryde, Singleton, Parramatta, Northern Beaches and Inner West local councils – to cater for those who live in apartments, townhouses or units that do not have access to EV charging on-site.

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ARENA CEO Darren Miller said power pole charging provided the perfect solution to increasing public EV chargers.

“Not all electric vehicle owners have the ability to charge their vehicle at home, which is why we’re excited to partner with Intellihub on this trial that utilises street side power poles, providing a great opportunity to pair with EV charging," Miller said.

“We look forward to seeing the results of the trial from Intellihub and hope to see it rolled out right across Australia.”

"It’s expected that as many as 10 per cent of new car sales in Australia will be electric vehicles by 2025. That equates to an extra 120,000 new EVs on our local streets each year. It’s likely that many of these car owners may be unable to charge their EVs from home,” Intellihub CEO Wes Ballantine added.

“Power poles line most of our public streets and that presents an opportunity for the EV charging market. They’re an accessible, safe, and practical option for EV charging.”

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Intellihub’s $2.04 million project is in partnership with Schneider Electric, which will provide the EV charging infrastructure, and EVSE – which will be managing the charging service for both quick stops and overnight stints.

Additionally, Origin Energy will supply 100 per cent Green Power for the project – meaning all of the energy required to charge the vehicles will be matched with the equivalent amount of certified renewable energy added to the grid.

At the moment the project is a trial aimed at showing how existing infrastructure can be used to power EVs, and if successful, it will be rolled out to more areas.

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Today's news follows the announcement in June that more than 230 electric vehicle charging stations will be installed in Sydney by 2025 by EV network provider Jolt and electricity firm Endeavour Energy on existing street-side substations – similarly meaning they will be available for those who do not have access to off-street charging for quick top-ups.

According to Endeavour Energy, the first points are expected to open as early as the end of this year.

Across the Jolt charging network, all electric vehicle drivers will have access to 7kWh of free charging per day, providing around 40 to 50 kilometres of driving range and a 15-minute charging time, depending on the type of vehicle.

Jolt's chargers, most of which are 25kW DC fast outlets, are powered by 100 per cent green energy.