Australia’s EV charger rollout has been fragmented and incomplete. It’s time for it to be brought together as a coordinated network.

Plunging battery prices and cheap running costs mean battery electric vehicles are now outselling petrol cars across Europe and China.

In Australia, battery EVs have reached 23 per cent of new car sales. That figure could be higher still – if it wasn’t for the question of charging. On longer trips, drivers have to rely on the public fast-charging network. This can be frustrating. Different providers and types of chargers, gaps in the network and reliability questions mean it’s still not as simple as going to a service station.

No single authority is responsible for the EV charger rollout. To date, it’s largely been driven by private investment. The result: a charger network with real strengths – and clear gaps.

Most drivers don’t charge EVs like they fuel a car – they plug in while working, shopping or sleeping. If we try to recreate the familiar network of petrol stations, there’s a risk we may not build the right kind of public chargers or in the places people can access them.

The public fast charger network is expanding rapidly along major highways, in suburban shopping centres, workplaces and local streets.

As of early July, 1,316 public charging sites are operational across Australia, representing more than 4,000 charging ports. Of these, 54 per cent are DC fast chargers rated at 50 kilowatts or more.

Nationally, most Australians live close to a charger: about 88 per cent of people live within 5 km of a charger, 93 per cent........

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