Published on Wednesday, 22 June 2022 at 3:40:00 PM
Electric car owners visiting the Beaufort Street Town Centre will soon be able to charge up their cars at two fast chargers while they go shopping or grab a meal or drink.
At the 21 June Ordinary Council Meeting, Vincent Council approved a five-year licence, with a five-year further option, to Fast Cities Australia Pty Ltd (trading as Evie Networks) to construct two fast electric vehicle chargers at two carbays at Chelmsford Car Park.
Evie Networks was founded in 2017 to build Australia’s largest electric vehicle fast charging network and give electric vehicle owners across the country the freedom to travel anywhere.
Evie Networks approached the City of Vincent to join their project to install a network of 158 fast EV charging locations around Australia, with 10 metropolitan sites to be deployed around Perth by August 2023.
The company, which received a Federal Government grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for their nationwide project, has proposed to install two fast 50 kilowatt chargers at no installation, purchase, maintenance or eventual removal cost to Vincent.
If Vincent granted Evie Networks a licence following a public notice period, it will be their first local government partner in WA.
Electric vehicle owners will still need to get a parking ticket in the Chelmsford Car Park.
There is currently one public EV charging station in Vincent – a 7 kilowatt charger at The Avenue Car Park in Leederville, which takes up to eight hours to charge from empty to full.
Fast chargers will provide drivers with up to 50km of driving range in only 10 minutes of charging.
Picture: City of Vincent ranger Russell Hallberg and Mayor Emma Cole.
Mayor Emma Cole said the cost of purchasing and installing one fast charger was up to $100,000, which had not been feasible for Vincent until this opportunity from Evie Networks came to light.
“With electric vehicles becoming more popular across Australia, many residents and visitors have been asking for more charging stations in Vincent,” she said.
“There is a growing demand to improve access to charging stations as many older apartments in Mount Lawley and Highgate do not have access to fast charging infrastructure and homes without onsite parking can also find it more difficult to charge at home.
“By supporting Evie Networks’ two fast chargers, we are making it more feasible and accessible for locals to make the switch to electric cars and reduce air pollution in Vincent.”
Ms Cole said the administration was looking to facilitate more opportunities for fast electric car charging infrastructure across Vincent.
This opportunity comes after Vincent’s car fleet reached 100 per cent hybrid or electric in March.
Evie Networks CEO Chris Mills said the City of Vincent was a great example of how local government could take a leadership role in the promotion of electric vehicle take up in the community.
“Local government plays an integral role in steering residents towards electric vehicles by supporting publicly accessible fast chargers at convenient locations,” he said.
Vincent’s Sustainable Environment Strategy 2019-2024 commits to facilitating investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with the aim of supporting community uptake of zero emission vehicles.
The Beaufort Street Town Centre Place Plan also includes an action for the installation of a fast-charging electric vehicle station in the town centre.
The public can make submissions and direct them to the attention of the Chief Executive Officer by email to [email protected] by 4pm Sunday 17 July 2022.
Have your say at imagine.vincent.wa.gov.au/public-notice-proposal-to-dispose-licence-property.
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