Plans to roll out Australia’s largest open network of ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging stations have kicked off in Victoria, with the unveiling of the first 350kW facility by Chargefox.
The station – located on Tarcombe Street in Euroa, in the state’s north-east – was officially launched on Thursday morning by the Victorian energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio, with representatives of several major car manufacturers in attendance.
It follows the announcement, earlier this month, of a $1 million Victorian government grant to go towards the Euroa ultra-rapid charging station, and another in Barnawartha North, near Wodonga.
And on Monday, Chargefox said it had gathered most of the rest of the $15 million it will need to build the nation-wide network, with $6 million funding from ARENA and an $8 million investment from the Australian Motoring Services, Wilson Transformers and CarSales founder Greg Roebuck.
Speaking at the launch, D’Ambrosio said her government would tip in another $2 million, to support charging stations in Melbourne, Ballarat, Horsham, Torquay and Traralgon.
As well as marking a significant turning point in Australia’s shift to electric vehicles, the launch of the Euroa station marks just the third time the 350kW EV charging technology has been installed anywhere in the world.
Read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle-dedicated site, The Driven…
You can also sign up to TheDriven’s regular, and free, newsletter here.
