Adelaide rolls out electric vehicle charging stations

The City of Adelaide has installed 42 electric vehicle charging stations around the city, as part of its 2016–2020 Strategic Plan.

These new charging stations were delivered in collaboration with the South Australian Government, SA Power Networks and Mitsubishi.

The first hour of charging is free, and the cost of charging a vehicle at a City of Adelaide station is about half to a quarter of the cost of charging at home. As chargers enable drivers to bring a charging cable that suits their vehicle requirements, the stations are compatible with all electric vehicles currently sold in Australia.

The Lord Mayor of Adelaide Martin Haese said that providing more charging stations would help make the city even more accessible for all motorists. The number of charging points has risen from two to 46 in the past 12 months.

“The locations of the charging points across the City of Adelaide make it convenient for people to plug in their car and then do their shopping, have a coffee or lunch, catch up with friends, attend an appointment or event, all while their car charges up, ready to go when they are,” he said.

“Global demand for electric vehicles is growing and the City of Adelaide is preparing for this increase locally.

“We believe changing to electric vehicles powered by renewable energy will help us achieve our goal to be carbon neutral, as well as lead to better outcomes for residents and local businesses, create investment opportunities and increase the livability of our city.”

Minister for Energy and Mining Dan van Holst Pellekaan said increasing the number of charging stations will power the coming surge in the use of electric cars.

A new smart electric vehicle parking system at the Central Market and Rundle UParks will help with the sharing of vacant carparks between electric vehicles and conventional vehicles in peak times. An orange light indicates the space is for electric vehicles only, while a green light indicates that the space is available to all vehicles.

People start, finish and pay for their charging sessions with the ChargeFox app. A contactless Paywave solution will be trialled at the Central Market UPark during September, prior to a citywide rollout.

Image courtesy of City of Adelaide.

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