Election 2022: Carparks boss rejects Anthony Albanese’s EV strategy

The peak national body for carparks has criticised Labor’s plan to create an electric vehicle corridor across the Nullarbor.

An electric vehicle charging station. Picture: iStock

The peak national body for carparks has criticised Labor’s plan to create an electric vehicle corridor across the Nullarbor, arguing there is no plan for how charging stations can be rolled out safely in capital cities where demand will be greatest.

Parking Australia chief executive Stuart Norman told The Australian that money was being thrown at growing demand for electric vehicles without any serious work having first been completed into pinpointing the best locations for charging stations and how they could be rolled out.

“Is the Nullarbor the best place for these? Probably not,” Mr Stuart said. “The majority of electric vehicles are going to be in and around capital cities.”

He said electric cars should be parked to charge, so most of the charging network would be needed in “private or public carparks” including inside corporate buildings across the country.

Mr Norman also argued there were critical safety issues relating to the rollout of electric vehicle charging stations which had not been properly addressed by either major party.

“This is the elephant in the room,” he said. “Carparks were designed for petrol cars. Carparks were designed for petrol engine fires. We need to look at what needs to be done if an electric vehicle catches fire.

“It can take three days to put out a fire in an electric vehicle because of the heat in the battery.”

Parking Australia is holding a major conference in Adelaide this Thursday and Friday where it will discuss how to transition carparks towards electric vehicles and what electrical work would be required.

At Labor’s campaign launch on Sunday, Anthony Albanese unveiled a plan to double the $250m pledged by the government for its future fuels fund. A $500m “driving the nation fund” would be established under a Labor government to help develop a national charging network with stations at an average interval of 150km on major roads.

Under the plan, Labor says the owners of electric vehicles should be free to drive from Adelaide to Perth, across the Nullarbor; ­Darwin to Broome and on to Perth; Broken Hill to Adelaide; Port Augusta to Darwin; and from Brisbane to Mt Isa and on to ­Tennant Creek in the NT.

Josh Frydenberg – who faces a threat from Climate 200 independent candidate Monique Ryan in his seat of Kooyong – has also pledged to his constituents that he would work with local councils to support the delivery of EV charging infrastructure as a key priority.