Melbourne company’s big electric vehicle vision

Melbourne councils are investing in public charge points for electric vehicles and one council is trialling a new technology that’s still in development.

Volvo XC40 owner Scott Druce says he uses a free public charger near his Brunswick home because of the convenience. Picture: Ian Currie

Pop-up kerbside chargers are being considered in inner Melbourne so electric vehicle owners who don’t have access to a garage can power up their cars on the street.

The fire-hydrant-sized chargers, being developed by a Melbourne company, would be connected to the owner’s home via underground cabling and avoid the dangerous problem of electric cords lying over the footpath.

Councils are also looking at more public charge points and more fast-chargers are appearing in supermarkets and shopping centres.

It’s estimated about 90 per cent of EV owners charge their vehicles at home.

A footpath charging system trialled in London.

Some electric vehicle owners use extension leads running across footpaths.

The new kerbside chargers would cost more than $5000 and would only be accessible by the owners.

Some councils are considering the new technology even though it is still in development stage.

Kerb Charge is developing the technology for a trial in the City of Port Phillip, which includes the suburbs of St Kilda, Elwood, Albert Park and Middle Park.

The units would be flood-proof, have vandal-proof locks and fully retractable, Kerb Charge spokesman Rod Walker said.

The units can be installed on asphalt, concrete or grass nature strips.

“You’ll be able to go over it on your mower,’’ Mr Walker said.

The City of Melbourne is also exploring on-street charging options.

“Charging at home is still the No. 1 choice for many electric vehicle owners, however on-street charging may be appropriate in areas with limited off-street parking and where space allows,” a spokesman said.

Melbourne Deputy Mayor Nicholas Reece, an EV convert, said the council was seeking changes to state planning laws to ensure all future buildings were designed to support the use of electric vehicles.

The council is already requesting developers include EV charging technology.

“We know that the number of EVs on our roads is going to grow significantly so we need to wire our buildings and streets to providing charging options,’’ Cr Reece said.

Volvo XC40 owner Scott Druce said he used a free public charger near his Brunswick home because of the convenience.

“But I have noticed people who run the cables across the footpath which is weird,’’ he said.

Central Melbourne has the most public charging stations with 36 locations, including 12 chargers in the new Queen Victoria Market underground carpark.

But most trips to the city are short stay which is not conducive to charging.

The Electric Vehicle Council’s head of energy and infrastructure Ross de Rango said fast-charging points were one option but most people would prefer to charge at home overnight, making kerbside chargers a popular option.

“Many older inner-suburb areas have pockets of terrace housing, where the urban design is such that residents’ cars park on the street.

“For obvious safety reasons, we don’t want to see a future where every house has an extension lead pulled across the footpath every night to their vehicle.’’

The moves come as more motorists go electric in the face of soaring petrol prices.

Sales of EVs in Australia trebled in 2021 – up from 6900 cars in 2020 to 20,665 last year.

And the share of the market of all sales moved from 2 per cent from 0.78 per cent in 2020.