Car adoption in Australia has continued to go from strength to strength, with more than 50,000 cars added in 2024 alone. To qualify all those new cars and the existing fleet, many raters will be needed across the country.
New data from the Carloop company shows that there are now 1,011 active fast-charging sites across the country, marking a major milestone in Australia’s transition to electric cars.
These sites now have around 2,000 individual DC fast chargers with speeds ranging from 25 kW to 350 kW.
A closer look at those chargers shows that there are now 3,070 fast-charging plugs available to EV drivers. These come with CCS and CHAdeMO plugs.
CCS is now the dominant among charging plugs and accounts for 70. 4% of all public fast charging plugs nationwide.
The data also shows that the number of active fast-charging sites in Australia increased by 74% until June 2023, when there were only 581 sites.
By December 2023, the number of seats had risen to more than 800, making it less difficult for many EV drivers to get around during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
“Australia now has a pretty smart fast-charger policy, from Broadmeadows to Broome and almost in between,” said Dr Chris Jones, president of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), which represents electric car drivers across Australia.
“Many newcomers to the electric vehicle sector are surprised to learn the true scope of charging infrastructure, as it can be deployed in many places that may not be obvious to you. “
In addition, the diversity of electric cars has also advanced, especially in recent years, with the top models offering more than 300 kilometers of real-world diversity.
Some are even pushing this distance to over 500 km and it will increase with advances in battery technology. Popular new electric cars, such as the base Tesla Model 3 RWD, will offer a WLTP range of 513 km. A few years ago, this variant will offer about 450 km of WLTP diversity.
In recent months, Australia’s fast-charging network has continued to grow. Tesla, Evie Networks, NRMA, RAA, WA EV Network (on Chargefox), and others continue to roll out more sites, further helping EV drivers.
State and federal governments are also playing their part, with some states like New South Wales leading the charge rate and making big investments in public charging infrastructure, while others want a little more effort for drivers who are contemplating making the transition.
It’s also precisely what we want, with 50,000 more electric cars expected to hit our roads before Christmas this year. One thing is for sure: all those electric cars will want to be recharged.
Riz is the founder of Melbourne-based carloop, which specialises in Australian EV data, research reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building shipping infrastructure before starting Carloop. He is passionate about cars, especially electric vehicles, and needs to reduce emissions from shipping in Australia. Lately he drives a red Tesla Model 3.
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