Perth and Carnarvon have recently become the newest members of the Western Australia (WA) Electric Vehicle (EV) Network, believed to be the most extensive electric vehicle charging network in Australia. The network expanded this week with the opening of new fast charging stations in both cities.
State Secretary of Energy Bill Johnston officially unveiled a new fast charger for electric vehicles in Perth. This charger offers 150 kW of charging power, allowing drivers to charge their electric vehicles in around 20 minutes. The charging prices are between 30 cents for the slow charger and 60 cents per kilowatt hour. Additionally, an idle charge of $1 per minute was introduced to discourage people from hogging the charger unnecessarily.
Although there is only one slot for the fast charger, a 7.6 kW backup charger is also available. This allows EV owners to pursue other activities, such as going for a walk or having a picnic, while waiting for their vehicles to charge.
The new charging facility in Perth now connects the city to WA’s electric vehicle network, which stretches north-south and connects various regional locations across the massive state.
Horizon Power, WA’s regional and long-distance electricity supplier, has also opened a new electric vehicle charging station in Carnarvon at the town’s visitor centre. This charging station marks the 10th active location in the WA network for electric vehicles. The Carnarvon site has a 150kW DC fast charger priced at 60p per kilowatt hour and a 22kW AC backup charger priced at 35p per kilowatt hour.
The expansion of the EV network in Washington doesn’t end there. Horizon Power announced that electric vehicle charging stations are expected to open soon in Exmouth, Karratha, Esperance, Denham and other locations. The network is expected to extend over 7,000 kilometers from Kununurra in the north to Esperance in the south and east to Eucla. It will consist of 98 new electric vehicle charging stations in 49 locations, meaning that travel routes between charging stations will average less than 200 kilometers.
With the addition of Perth and Carnarvon to the WA electric vehicle network, the state of Western Australia is taking important steps to build extensive charging infrastructure to support the growing number of electric vehicles on its roads.
