The Tesla Supercharger network’s largest outdoor EV charging site opened today in South Australia.
The Royal Automobile Association (RAA) on Monday opened its second “super site” in the regional town of Mount Gambier, with nine charging stations for electric cars.
The latest addition to South Australia’s electric car charging network is located on Sturt Street, Mount Gambier, just down the street from the Cave Garden Sinkhole, a tourist charm in the direction between Melbourne and Adelaide.
The first super site created through RAA was unveiled earlier this month in Port Pirie, 225km north of Adelaide. Both facilities will offer two hundred kW ultra-fast chargers, the Port Pirie site has 8 bays instead of nine.
“As the number of electric vehicle [EV] owners continues to grow in South Africa and across the border, South Australia’s charging infrastructure will want to keep pace, and that’s precisely why we’re building those larger sites along key destination routes,” said Nick, executive director of RAA. Read.
“The South East is already a hugely popular tourist destination for South Australians and motorway visitors, and the launch of this super site will put Mount Gambier on the map for EV drivers. “
The Mount Gambier super site now offers the most chargers in Australia outside of the Tesla Supercharger network, which has a 16-bay site in Albury, New South Wales, and five 12-bay locations in New South Wales and Victoria.
Meanwhile, the largest non-Tesla site outside of this Mount Gambier location is the Evie-controlled eight-bay facility at Seven Hills Plaza on Prospect Highway in Sydney.
During Easter and the AFL’s fundraising period, the RAA said there were a record number of charging sessions of vehicles powered through its network, up 48% from the bi-monthly average.
About 28 per cent of these drivers did so via motorway drivers, mainly from Victoria and New South Wales, compared to the usual 15 to 17 per cent.
“We know from data published through the South Australian Tourism Commission that 95 per cent of domestic overnight stays to the South East are self-driven,” Sanchez added.
“By building the RAA Charge network, we want to dispel the anxiety of South Australians and anyone visiting our wonderful state, but also help stimulate investment and tourism in our regional cities.
The release of the Port Pirie and Mount Gambier charging stations this month brings the total number of operational charging sites to 133 from the planned network of sites, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Mount Gambier charging includes a combination of CCS2, CHAdeMO, Type 2 charging sockets and an available cargo compartment.
By comparison, in September last year, BP opened a “Gigahub” mass charging station for electric vehicles in the UK, with 30 ultra-fast emissions of 150 kW and 150 fast emissions of 7 kW, allowing 180 vehicles to be charged simultaneously.
Senior Journalist