Image: The NSW government has announced that 500 new electric vehicle chargers are being rolled out across NSW. Photo: Transport for NSW.
By JACOB DE NOBREGA
The NSW Government has revealed plans to build more than 500 electric vehicle chargers in their effort to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The government is investing $40 million to encourage more NSW residents to go electric.
“Our Strategy is all about helping more drivers to benefit from the latest and best driving technology and I welcome the cross-party support for the legislation,” Matt Keen, Minister for Energy and Environment said in a statement.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics electric vehicle registrations have increased by 62.3% from the last year.
Chargers are being built across both metropolitan and regional areas in NSW.
The new electric vehicle charging stations are ultra-fast and can charge from 20%-80% battery in about 15 minutes.
Inner West misses out
However, the Inner West Council has stated that no chargers as apart of this government program are going to be built in the LGA. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne condemned the government’s decision to leave the Inner West out of the program.
“How are the people in Artarmon or Longueville more worthy of charging stations than the people in Balmain or Marrickville?” Cr Byrne said.
In Cr Byrne’s statement, he added that Inner West Council has led the way by becoming 100% powered by renewable energy and flagged the LGA as a prime location for sustainable development.
The Inner West Council currently has an Electric Vehicle Encouragement Strategy, with their main goal of this “to make Inner West the best place in Australia to own and operate an electric vehicle”.
The Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), said that there has been some progress made around Electric Vehicle charging in the Inner West, partially driven by concerns from their residents.
They also said that charging is one of the biggest concerns for residents who are interested in Electric Vehicle ownership as a lot of residents in the Inner West region, don’t have access to off-street parking.
“It is good to see that the Inner-West Council is moving forward with their Electric Vehicle Encouragement Strategy,” Jamie Lovick, secretary of the NSW AEVA said.
Additionally, Inner West Council, along with nine other Sydney councils, is participating in a trial of power pole charging for those who only have access to on-street parking.
