Rural EV infrastructure must be accelerated MP says

Regional Australians face a bumpy road in the switch to electric vehicles, with long queues at country charging stations being blamed on tourist traffic.

Long queues at a key regional electric vehicle charging station have raised questions over regional Australia’s lack of EV infrastructure.

Some motorists were forced to wait at least 90 minutes at the EV charging station outside the Wodonga Council buildings over the holiday period. The site is heavily relied on by motorists travelling between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

Local independent federal MP Helen Haines said it was essential that the federal government accelerated the rollout of charging stations throughout regional Australia.

A Volvo XC60 hybrid plugged-in at a charging station. Picture: Ben Stansall AFP.

“There was a queue in Wodonga for about 90 minutes last weekend, 100 per cent it was city people on holidays placing strain on the available resources,” she said.

“But it underscores what our local councils have been saying for a long time in that they are very keen on government support to establish charging stations in their townships.

“There is clearly not enough out there and it is a very important we get on and do this as rapidly as possible as more people start transitioning to EVs.

“It is also tourism infrastructure in many ways and a real opportunity for country towns to have EV stations and for people to stop in these towns and go to the local café and spend a dollar or two.”

Regional Australians face a bumpy road in the rapid switch to electric vehicles if governments do not adequately consider the unique challenges of life outside the urban fringes.

There are currently 3000 public charging stations nationwide, of which 500 are fast charging.

McKinsey & Co consultants last year said Australia must “step on the pedal” to build the 2.8 million charging stations needed to service a projected 3 million EVs by 2030.

Australia is “significantly behind” when it comes to electric vehicles, with only two per cent of new vehicle sales being EVs.

The nation’s uptake of new low-emissions vehicles is nearly five times lower than the global average.