In 2019, Southern Downs Regional Council enthused about recently launched EV charging stations which “put the Southern Downs on the EV map drawing visitors to the region”. Six years later, good luck charging your car in the shire. A quick search on the international app Plugshare, which locates, rates and shares information on charging stations, indicated a barren desert rather than a green highway.
Residents south of the border in Tenterfield, a shire with a fraction of the population of the Southern Downs, has two EV charging sites, with one, in the car park of Coles, offering five plugs. Even Glen Innes has a fast EV charger despite having half the population of Warwick.
In Stanthorpe, there is one station with one CCS2 and one CHAdeMO charger plugs available in the Rogers Street Carpark. Anyone travelling through or owning an EV in Warwick, however, faces issues. Currently, there is one charger in the Acacia Avenue car park with two plugs. One is “under repair” and the other is a slow charger.
“Council is actively collaborating with the University of Queensland, the operator of the Acacia Avenue site, to address the fault on the AC charger twin charge station,” council staff told The Town & Country Journal. “Parts and equipment required for the repair are currently on order from overseas.”
The lack of EV charging stations in an aspiring tourist destination points to poor planning in past years. Electric vehicles represent nearly one in ten new light vehicle sales, a 150 percent increase in 2022, according to the Electric Vehicle Council. Between July and September last year, more than 6000 new electric vehicles were sold in Queensland.
So, what is the issue?
A search using the terms “electric vehicle charging” on the SDRC website reveals nothing other than a 2021 announcement in which Council described itself as “innovative and progressive” and “a key link in the Queensland Electric Super Highway” in partnership with the University of Queensland.
However, council staff assured the paper that enticing new investment into EV charging in the shire is a priority. The SDRC is not alone. The Australian Financial Review reported several months ago that NSW needs 30,000 new charge stations but “they aren’t used enough to justify the investment”. It is, of course, a conundrum since buyers in regional Australia will be reluctant to own electric vehicles with little assurance of reliable charging options.
In Europe, where 25 percent of cars are electric, there is one charge station for every 10 cars. In Australia, the AFR reports, the figure is one station to 35 cars.
“A tender process is underway to select EV charger organisations to operate these new sites,” a spokesperson said. Council provides the site to outfits like ChargeFox, Evie Networks, and BP Pulse.
The Town & Country Journal will follow the tender process.
