Just months after the Queensland Government announced it was to almost double the length of Queensland’s Electric Super Highway and deliver 18 new charging sites across the state, Western Australia has gone one better.
WA will soon be home to the longest electric highway in Australia. A planned new infrastructure network will include up to 90 fast charging stations and back-up chargers at 45 different locations connecting Perth and regional Western Australia – stretching north to Kununurra, south to Esperance and east to Kalgoorlie.
For grey nomads, dreaming of doing the Big Lap without having to pump countless litres of fuel into the tank, the initiative offers at least a glimmer of hope.
The WA Government say electric vehicle owners will easily be able to travel the State along these routes, with the average distance between charging stations around 160 kilometres. It says most electric cars can run for at least 400 kilometres in one charge and it is expected the technology will continue to improve over the next few years.
The network will allow electric vehicles to be charged in as little as 15 minutes and locations have been chosen to encourage tourists to spend this time exploring a local regional town.
A tender for the charging stations’ design is expected to go out to market by the end of 2021, with the network expected to be fully operational by early 2024.
WA’s Environment and Climate Action Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the ‘huge fast-charging network’ would give electric vehicle owners confidence they can travel far and wide.
“This infrastructure is a key to boosting electric vehicle uptake in the State and helps continue the transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” she said. “The charging time will provide EV owners the perfect opportunity to stop in at a local business for lunch or a coffee in a welcome boost for our regional towns.”
Is there a EV out there with 420+ n/m of torque to equal my 6.5 V8 Chev Optima..??
How much is it to fill a electronic .?
I wonder where the electricity will come from to charge all the EVs they expect. I have heard of diesel generators, which sort of defeats the purpose.
I agree with the above comments + If the gvmnt put an extra tax on electric vehicles (I heard they were going too) I won’t ever be able to afford one anyway
Has any thought been put in as to what will happen to the old batteries. They can not be re-cycled and usually replacement costs more than a new car.
I would like to set up a servo, here in our town, on the edge of it. I have my eye on 40 acres, where I could put in 35 acres of solarpanels and batteries. This will be the way to go to charge EV’s in the future out in the outback. The set up cost would be huge, but with a little bit of government help, it could easily happen