Hundreds more public EV chargers are bound for NSW. Here is where you’ll find them

Hundreds of electric vehicle chargers that can power cars in less than half an hour will be installed in NSW under a state government plan to combat range anxiety and accelerate the take-up of EVs.

The Minns government will contribute $16.1 million to a public-private partnership to put 246 fast and ultra-fast chargers in 38 locations. The public stations will be located in dozens of Sydney suburbs, from Ashfield, Balgowlah and Gymea to Kensington, Campsie and Parramatta.

They will also be installed at Ourimbah and Tuggerah on the Central Coast; in regional areas including Mudgee, Bega, Dubbo, Singleton, Jindabyne and Macksville; and at Jerrabomberra and Queanbeyan near Canberra.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the public chargers across 38 locations would be powered by renewable energy and allow drivers to get back on the road faster than ever.

“Making charging faster and eliminating range anxiety are key to getting more EVs on the road in NSW,” Sharpe said.

“These charging stations will help reduce climate pollution while also making it easier to charge EVs away from home.”

Climate Change and Energy Minister Penny Sharpe joined Sutherland Shire Mayor Jack Boyd, Heathcote MP Maryanne Stuart and BP Pulse general manager Antoine Denis to announce hundreds of new fast chargers for electric vehicles.Credit: NSW government

Access to chargers has been identified as a common barrier to people switching to battery vehicles; range anxiety refers to a driver’s fear that their car will run out of power before they find a charging port.

The government says the fast-chargers will have a minimum capacity of 350 kilowatts, enabling them to rapidly charge electric vehicle batteries from 10 to 80 per cent in 10 to 15 minutes.

The charging ports will include pull-through charging bays to accommodate drivers towing caravans, boats and trailers. Many of the chargers will also be accessible for drivers with a disability.

The funds from the state government will be boosted by about $25 million in private investment that will enable BP, Energy Australia, Plus ES, Tesla and NRMA to install the chargers.

The government has been racing to install more public EV charging stations across the state to keep up with the rising number of battery vehicles on NSW roads, drive down costs for motorists and business owners, and drag the state closer to its net zero target by 2050.

An update in November revealed that NSW was not on track to meet its legislated targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 and 70 per cent by 2035. Instead, projections show NSW is tracking for 44 per cent by 2030.

There are more than 3200 existing public charging stations for electric vehicles in NSW. Last year, the government announced plans to install 670 charging ports across hundreds of locations, in a public-private partnership that was billed as the largest rollout of public chargers in the country.

The Inner West local government area was the biggest beneficiary of this scheme, with 136 EV chargers, followed by 83 chargers in Randwick and 70 in the Waverley local government area.

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