Charging stations tipped to double as EVs find favour with Aussies

Electric vehicle charging sites will double in Australia again over the coming year, according to a new report, on top of record-breaking growth over the past 12 months.

The analysis, released by consulting firm Next System on Tuesday, found car-charging sites surged by 90% in Australia during 2023.

It also found that even though Tesla dominated electric vehicle sales it was Chargefox that provided the greatest share of charging sites.

The findings come after record sales of electric vehicles, and despite concerns from some potential buyers that Australia’s charging network was not large enough to support the technology.

The Public Fast Charger Network Report found Australia had seen another 397 car-charging sites and 755 new charging points built during 2023, but predicted that number would rise significantly higher in 2024.

Next System founder Daniel Bleakley said the analysis showed charging stations were already planned for another 470 locations throughout Australia and a total of 900 new charging sites could be expected during the year.

“After a slow start, growth in Australia’s public EV fast charger network is clearly accelerating,” Bleakley said.

“Lack of public fast-charging infrastructure is often quoted to be a major barrier to electric vehicle uptake in Australia, however our report shows the EV-charging network is actually now growing faster than the Australian EV fleet.”

The report found local firm Chargefox had installed the greatest number of electric chargers in Australia, operating more than one in three charging sites, followed by Evie Networks with 23% of the market, and Tesla with 10%.

Jolt and NRMA followed in fourth and fifth spot, while electric car charging stations from traditional petrol retailers BP and Ampol claimed sixth and seventh positions as their national rollout ramped up.

US automaker Tesla offered the greatest power through its electric chargers, however, with its Supercharger network representing almost half of Australia’s charging network’s capacity, according to the report.

The findings come after Australians purchased more than 87,000 electric cars in 2023, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, representing more than 7% of all new vehicles and more than double the number sold in 2022.

The availability of public charging stations was one of the biggest concerns for motorists who were weighing up whether to purchase an electric vehicle, according to a Pureprofile survey of more than 2000 Australians late last year, second only to their purchase price.

This article was first published by AAP.