The Electric Vehicle Council has issued advice on charging etiquette this summer holiday as a record number of EVs hit the roads.
Nearly one in ten new car sales are electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs), with more than 100,000 added to our roads this year.
To keep up with growing demand, the number of locations offering fast and ultra-fast chargers has nearly doubled in a year, reaching 1,059 locations nationwide with over 1,849 high-power public chargers.
Electric Vehicle Council, Head of Legal, Policy and Advocacy, Aman Gaur said: “Australians love a summer road trip, and more of them than ever before will now be clocking up the kilometres in electric cars.
“Australia has hit an annual record for new EV sales, surpassing 100,000 this year. That means we should expect to see more EVs on our roads and accessing public chargers during these holidays.
“Luckily, the public charging network is growing to keep up with demand. Over the past year, the number of public chargers and their locations has nearly doubled across the country, with more public and private investment in the pipeline to expand this further in the new year.
“Charging this summer is set to be smoother than ever, thanks to more public chargers in more places and a maturing EV charging sector that has overcome initial challenges. A couple of summers ago, EV drivers in need of charging faced a bumpy road, largely due to COVID-related supply chain disruptions that impacted the availability of spare parts.
“More EVs on our roads is a good thing, making summer holidays as cheap as possible and reducing pollution in our communities. For many, this will be their first holiday road trip behind the wheel of an EV, navigating the best ways to charge along the way. Some of our top tips for EV charging etiquette are: don’t overstay your charge, leave home with a full battery, and be courteous to your fellow EV drivers.”
Top tips for EV charging etiquette:
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Leave home with a full charge and charge up at the place you're staying before you head home if you can. This will reduce the amount you need to use public fast chargers, and create more availability for others.
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Check with your accommodation provider about charging there and if they don’t have a policy around EV charging, offer to pay a bit more. The ability to charge where you’re staying is a huge convenience; it’s only fair that the driver offers to cover the small uptick in the accommodation provider’s electricity bill.
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Don’t overstay your charge. When you’re using public chargers, take what you need, then make space for the next driver, especially if there’s a queue. Topping up to 80% will take a lot less time than filling all the way to 100%, because the charging rate slows down as the vehicle battery gets close to full.
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Be kind. There’s more than 100,000 new EVs on our roads this year, with some drivers set to use public fast chargers for the first time this summer holiday. If someone needs help understanding how it works, offer to lend a hand.
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Look after the charging equipment. Put the charging equipment back as you found it to avoid damage and for the next person’s ease. If the unit is damaged or impaired, report it immediately to the charge point operator.
The Electric Vehicle Council is also asking EV drivers to help improve the public charging network further by completing a survey following their summer driving experiences.
Interested drivers can sign up here to complete the survey in early 2025.
Media contact: Sofie Wainwright 0403 920 301