Queensland Government’s electric car charging stations used only 1240 times

THE State Government’s push for a greener highway has been slow to take off, with motorists plugging into the free electric car charging stations just 1240 times during the past year.

Queensland installed electric car chargers at 17 locations at a cost of $3 million, but they have been used only 1240 times in the past year.

THE State Government’s push for a greener highway has been slow to take off, with motorists plugging into the free electric car charging stations just 1240 times during the past year.

The $3 million initiative announced in June last year, saw chargers installed at 17 locations around the state.

But despite the offer of free charging for the first 12 months, Queensland’s 1000 electric cars have plugged in, on average, only 1.24 times each.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the DC fast-chargers could cut charging time to about 30 minutes.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey, a key driver of the plan, said most drivers were choosing to charge at home, but the move would position Queensland for a cleaner, greener and more affordable transport future.

“Since the first phase of charging stations were installed, there has been more than 1240 charging sessions recorded, with at least 98 in the last month alone,” he said.

“The most-used charger is in Cairns, with more than 369 charge sessions followed by the Gold Coast, with more than 304 sessions.”

Mr Bailey said the DC fast-chargers installed in Queensland could cut charging time to about 30 minutes.

“On average, for a slower AC charger, charging will take a couple of hours, with most EV owners choosing to charge their electric vehicle at home, generally overnight,” he said.

“When charging at home, operating an electric vehicle is significantly cheaper than a traditional fossil fuel vehicle.”

He said it worked out at the equivalent of about 50¢ a litre.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk kept finding ways to waste taxpayer money on vanity projects.

“People are clearly choosing to charge their electric cars at home,” she said.

The Government has committed another $2.5 million to build additional charging sites with usage data from the first 12 months to determine a pricing strategy going forward.