Tritium installs first public EV fast-charger in Brisbane

Brisbane electric vehicle drivers looking for a quick and free battery recharge can now swing by the BMW dealership in Fortitude Valley, where local EV tech company Tritium has installed one of its world-leading Veefil fast-chargers for around-the-clock public use.

The industry-leading Veefil fast charger – the first to be installed on Tritium’s home turf – was unveiled on Thursday, giving local EV drivers the ability to add as much as 50km range to their batteries in just 10 minutes.

Although located in the forecourt of Brisbane BMW dealer – which recently took delivery of a number of the Bavarian car maker’s i3 EVs – the Veefil can be used by drivers of any make of electric vehicle, at no cost.

“This is the only fast charger to be designed and manufactured in Australia and we are extremely proud to see this first unit in our home city – and in a location which is fully behind encouraging the adoption of EVs in our city,” said Tritium commercial director Paul Sernia.

Designed and manufactured in Australia and launched here in May 2013, the award-winning Veefil charging system – developed over 10 years and backed by a $1.15 million Early Stage Commercialisation grant – can charge an EV up to 25 times faster than plugging it into the wall at home.

Its compact and lightweight design caters specifically for easy installation and use in places like shopping centres, coffee shops, airports and highway service centres.

Last year, Veefil made its European debut in June, followed by the signing of a deal to have the fast chargers installed across three countries in the EU – Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

This week’s unveiling of the Veefil at the Brisbane BMW dealership is presumably the first of four such installations planned for Fortitude Valley, as part of Tritium’s ‘electric super highway’ project –a proposed network of 12 EV fast chargers linking 430km of highway in Queensland’s south-east.

“Electric vehicles are now a real option for Australians and Brisbane is the perfect place to drive this type of vehicle,” said Brisbane BMW managing director Martin Roller.

“You would expect to get between 130km–160km from the i3 on a full charge and, if needed, a top-up from the Veefil is only going to take 10 minutes,” he said.